Mine to Take

  She looked at the tall Familiar questioningly.

  “You must stay by me at all times, Jenise. I know not what danger lies on the other side.”

  “Yes but we—” She bit her lip, hesitating to continue. Their special agreement only lasted until they got off this world.

  For a moment her eyes watered. In the short time they had been together, she had come to rely on the man. Jenise suddenly realized how much she liked the proud Familiar. For all his arrogance, there was an imposing strength of character to him. And he had been her first…

  She would miss him, she was sure.

  He squeezed her hand lightly, misinterpreting her hesitation. “Do not worry; I will protect you.”

  Moved by his gallant words, she nodded, keeping her sentiments to herself.

  In no time at all they were standing before the maw of the Tunnel. Its bright, flashing lights swirled and pulsated. Curious, Jenise peered into the portal, hardly believing she was about to take a step that would change her life forever. Finally she would be free of this place! Though she had been birthed here, this place had never been her home.

  Someone exited the Tunnel, quickly hobbling past them.

  Gian turned to smile at her, then stopped suddenly, his back straightening in a wary stance.

  “What is it?” she asked him, worried.

  He did not answer her. Slowly he turned, his gold and green eyes scanning the crowd of merchants in the marketplace. Someone was observing him intently.

  His eyes shifted back to the Tunnel entrance and rested on the dwarfish alien who had just exited the Tunnel. The alien was leaning heavily against a small, crooked staff. His wrinkled features and long snout gave him a curious appearance.

  As the being rested a moment, his bumpy head pivoted. Small dark eyes, lost in multitudinous folds of skin, peered at them intently.

  Gian returned the scrutinizing stare if for no other reason than he was a Familiar who would not be intimidated. For an instant he thought he saw surprise in the alien’s eyes. It was as if the alien hadn’t expected to see a Familiar there; although why that should be was a mystery.

  Under Gian’s masterful, piercing look, the odd alien rapidly turned from him, hurrying on its way.

  “It is nothing to be concerned about, taja; simply a vagabond traveler.”

  She smiled at him, relieved.

  And in that moment it struck Gian how beautiful her smile was, how pure and sweet and genuine. He smiled softly back at her and led her into the turbulent cosmic miasma known as the Matrix.

  They exited the Tunnel onto a flat plain, an unending vista of brown.

  The dry, mostly barren plateau was dotted occasionally by sparse vegetation—also brown. On this world, the binary suns were setting; already night sounds of wild fauna echoed across the expanse.

  Gian’s acute senses immediately scanned the area, alert for any danger. His grip on Jenise’s hand remained secure.

  “Gian…” Jenise spoke faintly at his side. “I feel…” She swayed, unexpectedly dizzy.

  The Familiar swiftly caught her in his arms before she toppled over. He swung her up in his embrace. “Jenise, was this your first time in the Tunnels?” He was astounded.

  “Y-yes. What is wrong with me? Why do I…feel…so disoriented?”

  “It is the effect of the phasing on the first passage. You should have told me before we entered. There is an elixir we might have been able to obtain in the marketplace to ease your displacement symptoms. Although the effect is temporary, you will feel quite ill for a while, Creamcat.”

  Jenise viewed him through eyes that were bleary and frightened. “You—you won’t leave me while I am like this, will you, Gian?”

  “Leave you?” He frowned down at her for the ridiculous statement. He had carried her across a death pit on his back for an entire day! And had almost died doing so. Now she thinks I will leave her because she is a little dizzy?

  No wonder Familiars adored women so! Who knew how their convoluted minds worked?

  “Yes…our agreement…just until we entered the Tunnel…”

  Now he understood.

  He gave her a tender look, stroking her cheek with one finger as he held her. “Taja, I would never—”

  But she didn’t hear him; she had already passed out from the vertigo caused by the transplacement through space.

  Night was falling fast on this unknown world. Gian thought it wise not to take any chances.

  Carrying her, he walked along the plain until he spotted a lone nanyat tree. He had seen this kind of tree on other worlds. Symmetrical in shape, the flat branches were just wide enough to lie upon for shelter. The thick, dark fronds would shield them from view from anyone on the ground while the height would protect them from unknown predators.

  Making his decision, he slung the unconscious Jenise—who had almost been the sovereign ruler of a planet—over his broad shoulder, much like a sack of grain. He then proceeded to climb the tree with her swinging over his back. Familiars were never ones for protocol.

  When he found the branch he wanted right near the middle, night stars were already dotting the sky. A meteor shower soon created a dazzling display.

  Jenise opened her eyes to streaking lights whizzing in and out of swaying fronds. Her brow furrowed. How could that be?

  Something warm and comfortable was wrapped around her.

  She blinked and tried in vain to stretch.

  Apparently whatever was keeping her warm was also preventing her from stretching. A masculine leg was thrown over her thighs. Strong muscular arms were wrapped securely around her waist.

  She sighed. It was the Familiar. He hadn’t left her. She sighed again.

  “Mmmm?” His teeth grazed her throat.

  She waited for…

  His nails pressed and scraped teasingly at an angle over her hips. She smiled to herself. “Why are you holding me so tightly?”

  “So you do not fall out of this nanyat,” said the husky voice next to her ear.

  “Nanyat?” Her palm felt along under her until the support seemed to just fall away. Carefully, she peeked over the edge of the branch they were on. It was a long way down. She was astonished. “Gian, how did you get us up here?”

  She felt him smile against her neck. “Very carefully,” he murmured.

  “Can we get down?”

  “Yes,” he chuckled, nuzzling his chin against her shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

  Jenise rubbed her forehead. “Not too bad, most of the ill effects seem to be gone.” She bit her lip and glanced at him over her shoulder. “You stayed.” She spoke in a cautious voice.

  The tip of his tongue began to tease her ear. “Did you really think I would leave you?”

  “I was not sure.” She sucked in her breath as that wicked tongue delicately probed at the canal. The stimulating action sent shivers down her spine.

  “How can I make you sure?” he whispered hotly in her ear.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing…” His Familiar touch skipped along her heated skin. “Nothing…” His Familiar mouth captured hers. Hotly, fiercely.

  She groaned something, whether denial or encouragement she had no idea. With his skilled mouth drawing on her, he made her lose every thought in her head save the feel of him.

  {Open for me, Jenise.} The telepathic command was accentuated by a sexy little nip he gave to her bottom lip.

  “I—”

  His tongue stroked inside her mouth. A damp, sensitizing invasion. Warm puffs of breath escaped her lungs, going into his mouth. Gian growled softly.

  The Familiar kissed as if he loved the taste of her. Deep and passionate, he laved her lips, her tongue, the inner recesses of her mouth. Jenise kissed him back, enjoying his expertise in this simple act.

  Only with him it was not so simple an act.

  She wondered if he was going to do what he had done the last time—gift her with that exquisite torture that made her…

  Su
rely there was no name for it!

  Remembering how he had opened his sensual mouth over hers to purr directly into her throat, Jenise moaned and squirmed against him in anticipation. She shouldn’t be thinking of such things or even inviting them, but it had felt so incredibly good.

  Gian smiled faintly as he licked a molten path along the delectable fullness of her lips. He knew exactly what she was remembering.

  He intended to add to those memories in a most notable way.

  Gian had no intention of bringing her to peak with his kiss as he had the last time. He only wanted her to think he might.

  As he was forced to pace himself during this journey to Aviara, so too, he must pace himself on this other, sensual journey with his creamcat. The time had come for him to begin to introduce her to the real pleasure that existed between a man and a woman.

  This non-Familiar woman was about to learn a lot about the Familiar male. Best he teach her carefully about their special desires. Carefully and gently. At first.

  So Guardian of the Mist quickly made up his mind, as was his nature on two matters: the first, that he was going to take her now; the second, that his touch upon her would be a slow and easy hand.

  Her anticipation would lead her unknowingly to follow him as he led her deeper into her own sensuality.

  In all ways, Gian was true to his feline self. He was sometimes mischievous. He could be tricky. He was often protective. But he was always smart.

  In all ways, he was a master strategist.

  Regardless of the parameters of the match, Guardian of the Mist played to win. He was a powerful Familiar in his prime and, like most Familiars, he was at his most dangerous when his intent was sexual.

  Jenise, who had just begun her life of adventure, had no idea how serious a Familiar could be when it came to certain matters.

  As he continued to kiss and nip and lave at her mouth, using a highly expert technique, Gian carefully untied the thick black ribbon that held her cloak together. With a master’s light touch, he spread the cloak out, letting the sides drape over the nanyat limb.

  A light breeze caught at the heavy material, flapping it gently in the sporadic wind. He liked the sound of it.

  His clever fingers threaded into her long hair, letting the pale strands sift gradually through his hand as he examined its lovely sheen. The back of his other hand brushed against the creamy skin of her collarbone, in a feathery touch.

  All the while, his creative mouth and tongue promised her nothing but pleasure.

  Jenise clung to those talented lips, unaware of the skill he was using on her. She arched up as male fingers whispered a sensitizing pattern down the side of her breast, over the loose material of her gown.

  Gian’s open mouth teased along her jawline, his tongue flicking and darting as he went. The same hand that just skirted her breast continued its descent in a gradual exploration, lightly massaging to heighten her awareness of his touch. His other hand tangled in her hair, gently tugging.

  Calmly, he licked across her collarbone, his tranquil movements enervating her. Then at the base of her throat, just above her collarbone, he suckled delicately. There was a tiny sting.

  Jenise gasped, her hands sinking into his hair.

  The sensitive spot was a pleasure center well-known to male Familiars. Gian drew carefully on the tender skin, purposely leaving his signature bite—a tiny love mark.

  Now, he would see it every time he looked upon her. See it and remember the incredible feminine taste of her.

  Remember this first time of true pleasure.

  A roll of satisfaction soughed from the back of his throat.

  His palm press-rubbed the length of her thigh and calf, gathering the material of her gown in his grip as he reached her slender ankle.

  Lifting the material, he let the tips of his fingers stroke up the satiny side of her leg in an easy, meandering path. Before she realized his intent, he inserted his muscular thigh between her now-exposed legs and rubbed against the soft inner skin.

  Jenise blinked. What was he doing? It was certainly more than kissing. More than she had intended. “Gian,” she croaked, “perhaps we should—”

  He was not listening to her.

  His white teeth captured the peak of her breast right through the fabric of her gown! She could feel that damp, burning mouth as if no cloth at all lay between them. Jenise wriggled on his thigh to get his attention, but the movement only seemed to make matters worse.

  Or better, depending on one’s point of view.

  Mortified, she could feel herself becoming damp. She opened her mouth to say something.

  Taking Jenise’s squirming as encouragement, Gian pulled her thigh up closer around his hip and rocked enticingly against her. Still gripping the tip of her breast between his teeth, he began to draw strongly on the throbbing nub.

  Jenise forgot what she had been about to say.

  The man was making her feel things she had never felt before! And all of the sensations were pleasureable. Perhaps she should explore this further and see what transpired?

  He unclasped her gown at the shoulders, tugging it down to her waist. His mouth truly captured her now and if she thought that what he was doing to her before could not be improved upon, then she was highly mistaken. His broad palm cupped her breast, holding it up to his lips.

  A rough tongue scraped the swollen tip in a long, slow lick.

  Taking soft nibbles along the underside of her breast, he nuzzled his chin along the plump globe, purring contentedly into the satiny valley of her chest. The erotic vibrations skittered over her like pulsating waterfalls.

  Jenise’s arms encircled his neck, drawing him closer to her as she decided that she definitely liked what he was doing. She had already known this man; had felt him inside her in the most intimate way possible. Now her body seemed to be humming for him, reaching toward him in a way that was not simply physical. Perhaps it was because of what they had shared in the cell where he was held captive?

  Absently, she stroked his nape as he purred roughly against her.

  By now she knew his scent.

  It covered her, exciting her. She also knew what that alluring scent promised.

  When her hand grazed the krilli-textured strands of his burnished golden hair, Jenise realized that rumors about the exquisite feel of Familiar hair were also true. She had never felt anything like it… Stroking it was addictive.

  At her petting touch, Gian encouraged her by murmuring huskily.

  She smiled faintly, pressing her lips against his smooth brow. He liked her touching his hair, she discovered, surprised.

  If she only knew what else he liked.

  His tongue traced a meandering route down the valley of her chest; its languid flicking relaxing her yet stimulating her at the same time. When he reached her navel, he circled the perimeter of the small indentation, then teasingly poked at it with the tip of his tongue.

  In a very unsovereignlike action, she giggled at the ticklish sensation.

  Gian chuckled at her innocent response, wondering if she was aware that the area was alive with nerve endings perfect for certain stimulation. Friction being the first that came to his mind.

  She would be feeling that particular stimulation very soon now.

  He grinned to himself as he expertly plied his sensual arts upon her.

  Nudging the draping material of her gown lower with his nose, he subtly bit the rounded curve of her lower belly. It was one of several special Familiar bites that he would be introducing her to. This one was an airy graze using a gentle combination of teeth and pressure. Named the Kitten’s Kiss, the bite was designed to entice but not devastate.

  Gian was not aiming for devastation.

  Yet.

  As far as he was concerned, this was her first real experience with lovemaking. He had no intention of overwhelming her with his Familiar appetite.

  Unless she asked him to.

  Then he would be most happy to oblige her.

/>   Jenise shivered from the erotic sting. Once again, she began to have doubts about the wisdom of engaging a Familiar in such activities. His tastes seemed far too sophisticated for her. Her touch became noticeably hesitant upon him.

  Guardian of the Mist did not give her time to become any more hesitant.

  Moving up on her once again, he covered her mouth in a fiery possession, driving every concern out of her head. As he lingered upon her, kissing her senseless, his hand surreptitiously went to the lacings on his breeches. Familiar dexterity being what it was, he unlaced the tracas in no time at all.

  Then he purposely sent her a very heated thought.

  {I want to be inside you, Jenise. Like I was before…only this time, I want to show you what it is supposed to be…} He rubbed his shaft against the delicate folds of her femininity.

  As he’d expected, she was very wet. He had taken great care that she would be.

  Jenise moaned at the thick surge between her legs. The Familiar slid back and forth along her nether lips, his mouth coaxing, his body pressing her down as he spoke in her mind, erotic messages, asking her to let him in.

  {Do you know what you felt like to me…?} His tongue stroked hers. She cried out against him, caught in his spell.

  {You are sweet fire and spicy cream, taja…I have never felt anything like it… } He rotated his hips against her, the broad head of his shaft pressing heavily against her dewy moisture.

  A whimpering sound of desire came from her.

  It was good, but Gian wanted her more than ready for him. He held off even as she opened her thighs for him. His arms encircled her, one hand sliding up under her hairline at the nape of her neck. The other hand reached down to cup her bottom, bringing her tightly to him.

  He twitched against her.

  Jenise thrashed in the intimate embrace, wanting him now with an intensity she never knew existed between a man and a woman. She whimpered against his lips, begging him in guttural sounds to appease this longing he had created.

  {Yes, I will, Creamcat, but when I stroke inside you, I want to hear who it is you are feeling…}