“Illlessssca.” The name came out in a throaty purr. “Please, call me Ilesca.” She smiled charmingly, her whiskers twitching.
“Miss Ilesca,” Boone said. “Thank you for your interest in my work but right now I’m afraid I’m more interested in yours. Do you have the part we need to fix our hyperdrive in stock?”
“I believe we do.” She nodded, her large eyes half closed in satisfaction. “But there is the little matter of payment.”
Boone cleared his throat. “Ah yes. Of course.”
“You’d think such an avid fan would offer a discount,” Loki muttered, too low for the viewscreen to pick up. “So much for your celebrity status, doctor.”
“I heard that.” Ilesca’s eyes narrowed as she studied Loki. “Of course Doctor Boone’s credit is no good here. But we have a unique problem that only he may be able to solve.”
Boone frowned. “And what might that be?”
“I can’t discus it on an open link.” Her large green eyes flicked rapidly from side to side, as though looking for eavesdroppers. “You’ll have to come down to the surface anyway so I can have a look at your ship. We can talk then and of course, my father will want to meet you.”
“Who is your father if you don’t mind me asking?” Boone said.
Ilesca smiled again, showing sharp white teeth. “Why John James Abrahams, of course. Don’t you see the family resemblance?”
Before Boone could answer the viewscreen blinked and went black—Ilesca was gone.
“What in the seven hells was that all about? And who is John James Abrahams?” Loki demanded, sitting up straighter in his chair.
“John Abrahams is a cautionary tale.” Boone frowned, more troubled than ever. “We studied him in med school—in Ethics of Advanced Genetic Manipulation.”
“Ethics, huh?” Loki sniffed. “There’s nothing ethical about cloning in the first place. It’s an abomination against the Goddess to copy one of her creatures instead of procreating in order to make more beings the way she intended. And don’t start in on how disgusting and vile sexual procreation is, missy.” He pointed a finger at K. “What’s truly repulsive is pumping five hundred identical babies, all with the same fucked-up DNA, out of an artificial womb.”
“I said nothing.” K glared at him. “But since you opened the subject, I find your ways of reproduction repugnant and wrong.”
“Okay, kids—break it up.” Boone held out a hand to each of them. “Getting back to the subject, the guidelines for cloning—which most worlds in the Prometheus System follow—were laid down at the Covran Convention of 2299. Basically it states that you can mix DNA however you want, as long as everything you’re mixing is human. Unfortunately Abrahams had other ideas. ”
“He used animal DNA.” Loki nodded at the now dark viewscreen. “Miss Meow there is only a whisker away from purring for a bowl of cream—literally.”
Boone sighed. “Yeah, it looks like that.”
“I don’t like her,” K said abruptly.
“Well, of course you don’t, sweetie,” Loki snapped. “You’re a Purist—you don’t like anybody.”
“I don’t like the way she talks. Or the way she was looking at you,” K said to Boone, ignoring Loki’s jibe. “She looked predatory…hungry.”
“Well not many folks make the trip all the way out to Minotaur,” Loki said, raising an eyebrow. “If this Abrahams character is so interested in genetic manipulation maybe they’re looking for fresh breeding stock. Wouldn’t it be interesting if that was the price for getting the hyperdrive fixed? What do you think, Boone—would she ask you to scratch her behind the ears…or lower?”
“That’s enough of your filthy talk,” K flared before Boone could answer. “Boone wouldn’t participate in any such exchange.”
“On the contrary, sweetheart, I happen to know that Boone would do just about anything to get his little sister back, including kidnapping your boney, frigid ass and hauling you halfway across the solar system.”
“Loki, that is enough.” Boone made his voice a muted roar and had the satisfaction of seeing the pilot jump.
“Excuse me, Mr. Sensitive,” Loki muttered. “I was only stating the obvious.”
“Well, don’t. Just take us down and try to make it through the damned landing sequence without saying anything insulting or inflammatory.”
“Yes, sir. Whatever you say, boss.” Loki sketched an overly elaborate salute before turning back to the ship’s controls. “If you two wouldn’t mind leaving, I’d like to concentrate. It’s hard to fly when the entire flight control stinks of Purity.”
“Fine. Come on.” Boone grabbed K’s arm and steered her away before she could say something in retaliation—or maybe go for Loki’s throat which seemed more likely given the murderous gleam in her black-on-black eyes.
They went back to his quarters in silence but when they got there, K turned to face him. “You wouldn’t really do that, would you?” she demanded as Boone sorted through his locker, looking for any remaining dress shirts that hadn’t been turned into makeshift dresses. He had a few that he knew of that were miniaturized but he hated to go to the trouble of resizing them.
“Do what?” He was distracted, wondering if he could wear the dark red shirt with his black tie—what had K done with his black tie anyway?
“Do what Loki said. Have…have sexual intercourse with that…that cat mechanic thing.”
Boone stopped rummaging and looked up, studying her. It was obvious she was trying to be calm and collected but he could see the tension leaking through her poorly constructed façade. “Why? Would it bother you if I did?”
“Of course it would.” K’s hands were clenched into fists at her sides. “I couldn’t bear to have you touch her.”
“You couldn’t, hmm?” Boone raised an eyebrow at her, now completely intrigued. “Feeling a little jealous there, K?”
Her cheeks went pink. “Of course not. Envy and jealousy are not emotions I would ever allow myself to indulge in.”
“Oh, of course not.” Boone went back to digging through his clothes. “So if you’re not jealous, it shouldn’t bother you if Ilesca wants to get a DNA sample from me the old fashioned way.”
“It does bother me though.”
“And why is that?”
“I…you…” She seemed to be groping for the right words. “Just think of all the contagion you might get from her. And then you would pass it on to me when you touched me again.” K’s cheeks went even pinker. “I couldn’t bear it—the idea of your hands all over her like that.”
“Oh you couldn’t, huh?” Boone frowned. “Well I hate to tell you, K, but what Loki said back there is pretty much right. I would do just about anything to get my sister back. Not that having sex with a woman that has longer whiskers than mine gets my engine revving but if I had to…” He shrugged.
K looked as upset as he had ever seen her. “I can’t believe this. Can’t believe you’d be willing to debase yourself in such a way.”
“Look, darlin’, I’m sorry but I just don’t see sexual contact as the horrible, iniquitous crime you seem to think it is. Anyway…” He clapped her on the shoulder. “It’s probably a moot point. Given Ilesca’s interest in my credentials, I’d say she’s more interested in my PhD than my penis.”
K still looked upset. “I don’t like this at all. Why can’t we just skip this planet and continue straight on to Eros?”
“Because without a fully functioning hyperdrive we wouldn’t get there in time for Loki to find another touch-partner. And since Mom is celibate, you’re Miss Touch-Me-Not when it comes to sex, and I sure as hell am not gay, we have to find him someone, preferably another Erian, to complete his cycle with.”
“Who cares about his cycle?” K demanded.
Boone raised an eyebrow. “Well, you should for one. Your Erian DNA ensures that you’re going to be going through the same thing he is sooner or later.”
She looked suddenly pale. “You mean you think I’ll have to…have to… N
o.” She shook her head. “I refuse to believe that.”
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to face it sooner or later, K. I’ve studied your DNA and it’s even more Erian than Loki’s. Which means that eventually you’re going to have the urges all Erians do.”
“I won’t.” Her voice trembled. “I’ll never do…do that. No matter what.”
“Well, not for awhile, we hope anyway.” Boone sighed. He was going to have to resize something to wear planetside after all. He popped open the tiny storage compartment to one side of the locker and began picking through the tiny, doll sized clothes. Loki had thought buying a miniturizer was an unnecessary expense but it had allowed him to pack much more in the limited area of the Erian ship, as well as bring some equipment he might otherwise have had to leave back on Colossus. Of course, he didn’t have room on board ship to resize all of it but in a pinch he could probably work something out.
“I still say we should just go on to Eros,” K said stubbornly, breaking his train of thought.
Boone frowned. “So you’d rather go to Eros than face ‘Miss Meow’ as Loki called her? I thought the entire planet was decadent and depraved.”
“It is but I don’t like her,” K said stubbornly. “I don’t trust her. I was trained to judge the enemy in a split second and something about that Ilesca is wrong.”
“Yeah, she’s got whiskers and most likely a tail.” Boone grinned. “Unfortunately, she’s also got what we need so we’re going to have to deal. Cheer up, darlin’—we’ll be out of here before you know it.”
K gave him a dark look. “I pray to Purity you’re right but I doubt it, Boone. I really doubt it.”
Chapter Nine
K scanned the landing platform, feeling naked. Her unprotected skin itched for her suit and her fingers twitched as though reaching for the triggers of her gauntlets. But she had no weapon—not so much as a sharp stick. Boone and Loki were armed of course—Boone with a pulse pistol that looked more like a cannon since it was sized to fit his big hand and Loki with his gogi dagger. K, however, had nothing.
Seeing the weapon strapped to the Erian’s waist reminded her that just a few solar weeks ago she’d tried to use it to purge herself. He was within reach now and her hands were unrestrained—a fact that Loki was not happy with but Boone had insisted on. K wasn’t thinking of purging herself now, however. Now the only reason she wanted the weapon was to have something to defend herself with. She didn’t like being dependant on others to protect her, not even Boone who she was beginning to trust despite herself.
Because of her misgivings about Ilesca, K had asked for a weapon and Boone had promised to take it into consideration. He’d gone to talk to Loki about it but on that point the Erian had absolutely balked. “You’re letting her come with us planetside—fine,” he’d spat at Boone. “You want to keep an eye on her, I understand that. But if you give her a weapon—if you let her have so much as a fucking rusty butter knife from Earth-that-was—then I am not going with you. She’s a trained killer and we’re her targets. You’d be stupid to forget that Boone.”
“K is an honorable person,” Boone had argued in a low voice. “She’s promised not to try and kill anyone until she gets her suit back.”
“And you believe her? Goddess, Boone, please tell me you’re not that stupid. Look, you don’t know the Purists, not like I do. I was their prisoner—I’ve seen what they’re capable of.”
“I know you had a rough time in their labs,” Boone had said softly, putting a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “But I need you to trust me on this, Loki.”
“Why, so you can get us both killed? Face the facts, Boone—you’re starting to have feelings for this girl and it’s getting in the way of your better judgment.”
“What? You’re crazy,” Boone had protested but was there a glimmer of doubt in his light-on-white eyes? K, who had been watching from her hiding place behind the bulkhead, wondered.
“I’m not crazy—you are. You’re the one falling for a Goddess damned Paladin. I see the way you look at her, the way you touch her—”
“I touch her because I have to—because she’ll die if I don’t. Now if you know a better way, feel free to share it right now.” Boone’s voice was low and dangerous. “In fact, I’ll bet you do know a better way. You know a hell of a lot you’re not telling.”
“I’ve told you all you need to know. I’m sorry I told you that much.” And Loki had spun on his heel and marched away, leaving Boone to mutter something under his breath that K couldn’t quite catch. She’d been too busy wondering about what she’d heard to worry about Loki’s parting invective anyway.
Could it be true that Boone had some kind of emotion for her? Maybe the same kind that Six, the pilot on her old purge squad had appeared to have? K had felt nothing for Six except maybe a very cold kind of revulsion when he’d tried to touch her. But with Boone…she shook her head. With Boone things were all mixed up. He was the enemy—he’d ambushed her, killed her squad, and contaminated her beyond hope of cleansing or redemption. And yet…
“Hey K, you okay?” Boone’s soft question pulled her back to the present.
“Fine,” she said shortly. Pushing the disturbing thoughts out of her head, she began wishing for a weapon again. I still have my hand-to-hand combat training to fall back on, she reminded herself. But without her skinsuit that would mean touching whoever she was fighting. Just the thought of that—of touching anyone besides Boone—made her stomach roll until she wanted to heave. She would do it if she had to but…Please Purity, let it not come to that. Please, I can’t—
The large bronze door at the far end of the landing platform slid smoothly open, interrupting her silent prayer. Standing there, as though posing for a vid shot, was Ilesca. It was early morning on the half of Minotaur they’d landed on and the cat-woman appeared absolutely radiant, outlined by the golden glow of interior lights behind her.
“Welcome visitors.” Her soft, purring voice put K’s nerves on edge and the way the cat-woman was scanning Boone didn’t do anything to quiet them.
“Ilesca. Nice to meet you in person.” Boone stepped forward and put out a hand but the cat-woman ignored it. She flowed smoothly forward, moving in a way that was more animalistic than human, until she was right in front of him. Then, standing on her tip-toes to reach him, she placed her hands on his shoulders and rubbed her cheek against his.
“That is our greeting here,” she murmured, just loud enough for K to hear. “And I am more than glad to give it to you and welcome you to Jamesville.”
Loki uttered a short laugh. “Nice. And is there a Johnsville and an Abrahamsville too?”
Ilesca studied the Erian with wide, unblinking eyes. “Johnstown is the next township over—why do you ask?”
Loki smirked. “No reason. It’s just that anyone who names a town after themselves doesn’t seem to be overburdened with modesty.”
“My father founded this settlement—he carved it out of the wilderness with his own two hands. Why should he not be proud?”
Loki opened his mouth but Boone cut in smoothly. “No reason at all. It appears to be something to be proud of—what we can see of it, that is.” He smiled down at Ilesca who was still standing much too close—at least in K’s opinion. The cat-woman’s large, disgustingly protuberant breasts were pressed against his chest, her long red nails rested lightly on his shoulders as she looked up into his eyes.
K had a sudden, intense urge to walk over and rip the woman’s hands from Boone’s body, spin her around, and push her down to the ground. Then she would grind that pointed, cat-like face into the dirty tarmac of the landing platform until she begged for mercy. She doubted if Ilesca would retain her seductive little smile after that.
The urge was so strong that K was actually taking a step toward them, her hands raised, when a thought stopped her cold. Is this what Boone meant when he asked if I was jealous? It was hard to believe—she’d denied the emotion out of hand when he’d accused her but
then, she’d never felt it before so it was easy to deny. But this feeling, this desire to do violence because she saw another female’s hands on what K considered to be her property was new. It even superseded her dread of touching someone besides Boone without her suit. Could it be that she was jealous after all? Ridiculous, she told herself uneasily. I just don’t want any of her contamination to rub off on me the next time Boone and I touch.
“Well, maybe we ought to get going,” Boone said, smiling uneasily down at Ilesca who was still all over him.
“Maybe we should. I know my father is most eager to meet you.” With one last full body rub she finally released him. “Walk this way if you please,” she said, turning to lead them back to the open doorway.
“Honey, if I could walk that way I’d own my own brothel,” Loki muttered, sotto voce. The cat-woman’s full hips swayed from side to side like a pendulum with each tiny, mincing step she took.
“Shut up.” Boone nudged him and looked back at K. “Coming?”
“Of course.” She strode forward, wincing as the purple leather boots Loki had grudgingly allowed her to borrow pinched her toes. No one else’s shoes had fit her and she didn’t have any of her own—she hadn’t needed any with her skinsuit. Boone had promised to get her new clothing and shoes on Minotaur—he’d claimed it was the least he could do. K just hoped he did it soon. She felt undressed in his voluminous dress shirts, even when they were cinched at the waist.
This was the first time she’d seen him wear one of the shirts himself since he was usually dressed in the soft synthi-cotton upper body garments he called t-shirts. K had to admit he filled the dress shirt out much better than she ever could. The smooth black fabric of the one he was currently wearing was stretched across his back, emphasizing the width of his shoulders. It was tucked into his low-slung black leather flight pants. He had a very muscular ass, she noted and then wondered why she would notice such a thing at all. After all, the black skinsuits she and her fellow Paladins had worn were much more formfitting than Boone’s present outfit and she’d never taken note of any of their bodies. But somehow Boone’s large form drew her eyes.