Free Novel Read

Shifter’s Station 2: Pilot’s Heart Page 4


  Removing the cuffs, he sat her on her feet at the end of the bed, facing away from him. “Don’t move.”

  She obeyed, barely even letting her chest rise to breathe. He jerked at the back of her belted sweater, pulling the tie loose and dragging it down her arms. He threw it to the ground and spun her to face him. She sucked in her breath when she saw the fury reflected in his eyes. He grabbed the sides of her thin Cerian-style tunic and ripped. The flimsy garment fell off her shoulders, slid down her arms, and pooled on the floor, leaving her dressed in nothing but her soft leather boots.

  He circled her and sat. “Kneel and bend over my lap.”

  Her knees gave -- bringing her to the floor before her mind even consented. From the first moment she’d seen Devlin, her body had responded to him as if it had been made for him. She wished their minds were as compatible.

  She arranged herself over his lap, her body tense, expecting pain. She knew he wanted to make her pay for her disobedience. His hand slapped her bare ass. She thought she was prepared, but she’d forgotten the power in his arm. Stinging pain radiated through her body. He made no effort to go slow. She couldn’t catch her breath as blow after blow landed on her buttocks. She struggled at first. But then her body began to absorb the blows, to pull them into her and convert them to pleasure.

  She squirmed now -- but with need, not agony. She knew in an intellectual way that her ass was on fire. Her cheeks had to be riddled with welts, but she felt only an intense sensation that her body accepted as pleasure. She bucked her hips against Devlin’s thigh, biting her lip to keep from begging him to fuck her.

  He growled, and she felt claws scratch her where he pinned her to his legs to keep her still for his blows. She tensed, losing her ability to ride the pain for a few seconds.

  His claws nicked her ass a few times, but he kept enough control not to rip her open despite the wildness that pulsated from him. She enjoyed the contrast of soft, warm fur rubbing her back where he pinned her and the hard punishing slaps to her ass.

  He kept spanking her long after she’d expected him to stop, but she stayed with him, riding the hot pleasure he forced into her body with each blow. Finally, he stopped. She lay still for several seconds, unable to control her limbs. She’d ridden the waves of pleasure so high she felt as if she were actually floating above Devlin’s lap.

  As she came back to herself, one of the first things she noticed was Devlin’s loud breathing. He was panting as hard as she was. His cock felt like a steel bar pressed into her side. The next thing she noticed was the hot fire radiating from her ass. She wondered if the heat from her skin would burn her if she touched it.

  Devlin used the arm that had anchored her to his legs to pull her up. She winced as she came up on her knees, knowing she couldn’t bear to sit back on her heels if that was what he asked. But he said nothing so she remained kneeling.

  His claws and fur had disappeared. Only his eyes were wolfish now, but they were full of very human agony and need. “Swear you won’t disobey me again.”

  Her heart pounded. The part of her that had surrendered to him completely begged her to do as he asked, but the practical part of her knew that wasn’t an option. She could not stay with him if he wouldn’t let her be the person she truly was, a woman who wanted to submit in bed but who needed her freedom the rest of the day.

  “I --” Her voice caught as her submissive side tried once again to make her give him what he wanted. “I can’t.”

  “What do you want from me?” His voice shook. She’d never seen him look more wounded.

  She wanted to reassure him, tell him everything was fine, but she couldn’t. “I want you to love me for who I am.”

  His snarl covered the pain she’d seen in his eyes. “It’s my duty to protect you and everyone else on this station.”

  “I want to be more than a duty to you.”

  He grabbed her under the arms and slung her up on the bed, making her fall onto her back. She expected him to push her legs up and bury his cock in her. Instead, he knelt at the end of the bed and pulled her to him.

  He licked her pussy with desperation, as if tasting her could save him from the pain she knew he felt. His spanking had aroused her to the point that her clit was engorged and super sensitive. The strokes of his tongue were so intense she cried and whimpered without restraint.

  She begged him to release her, but he kept attacking her with tongue, lips, and teeth. When he sucked her clit into his mouth, the pleasure went beyond reason. Her entire body shook and fell apart. She could believe she literally disintegrated and reformed long moments later. As she came down from her peak, she realized she was sobbing. Loud heart-rending sobs shook her body as tears poured down her cheeks. Her orgasm had released all the pain she’d collected in her body every time Devlin refused to see her as more than a plaything.

  As her sobbing slowed, she realized Devlin was no longer touching her. She wiped her eyes and forced herself to open them. He turned his head as soon as their eyes met. But the way he wiped his cheeks as he faced away from her told her she wasn’t the only one brought to tears by the intensity of what they’d shared.

  She wanted to say something but she didn’t know any words to convey how she felt, at least not any that wouldn’t hurt or anger him more. Not that he gave her a chance to try. Instead, he walked away, leaving her aching, physically and emotionally, for more of him than he could give.

  * * *

  The door to Marc’s office slid open despite his having keyed it to respond to no one but him. Kirlos barged in, worry evident on his face. “Tell me you didn’t hurt her.”

  Marc snarled. Anger bit at him, and he had to wrestle his wolf into submission before he could give a rational answer. “No more than she wanted me to, at least not physically.”

  “You’ve got to stop trying to control her, or she’s going to leave.”

  Marc slammed his fist down on his desk. “I can’t be who she wants me to be.”

  Kirlos shook his head. “She feels the same way.”

  “I’ve got to concentrate on beating Ragland. I can’t pamper her right now.”

  Kirlos grabbed the front of Marc’s jacket and hauled him out of his seat. ”Fires of hell! She’s going to walk out on us, and it’s going to break both our hearts. We’ll never find another woman this perfect for us. I’ve put up with a hell of a lot from you. Don’t fuck this up.”

  Marc’s initial reaction was anger. As if fighting with Larissa and waiting for Ragland to kill him wasn’t enough, he didn’t need Kirlos on his case. But as he allowed himself to see the pain in Kirlos’s eyes, his anger drained away to be replaced by anguish. “I don’t want to lose her either.”

  “Then listen to what she has to say and give her the freedom she needs.”

  Marc shook his head. “I don’t know if I can.”

  Kirlos reached out and cupped Marc’s face. “For all your arrogance you don’t think highly of yourself, but I’ve seen how much love you are capable of. I know you can be the man Larissa needs. You are the man Larissa needs. You just have to believe it yourself.”

  Marc started to protest, to say that Larissa expected more than he could give, but Kirlos dropped to his knees and undid the fastening of Marc’s pants. As Kirlos freed Marc’s cock and sucked it deep into his warm mouth, Marc remembered exactly why he loved the Cerian so much. No one else had ever known exactly what he needed without being told. But Kirlos could read him with ease.

  When he and Kirlos had first become lovers, he’d believed the Cerian was lying about the extent of his psychic talents. After a few months together, he’d realized that Kirlos really couldn’t read his thoughts, they just had a connection that went beyond what Marc could define. He’d felt that same connection with Larissa from the moment he’d first gotten her on his sex table.

  He groaned as Kirlos worked magic with his long slender tongue. Kirlos dug his fingers into Marc’s ass, forcing his hips forward and swallowing him whole. Marc fisted his ha
nds in Kirlos’s hair and let his head drop back. A growl rumbled in his chest. Walking away from Larissa had made his cock throb with desperate need. He knew he wouldn’t last long. Kirlos deepened his suction and Marc lost control. With a hoarse shout, he bucked against his lover’s mouth and shot his come down Kirlos’s throat.

  When Kirlos sat back on his heels and smiled up at him, Marc knew exactly what he needed to erase the last of the heartrending ache in his chest. “Fuck me.”

  Kirlos frowned.

  “Yes, I’m asking you to shove that cock of yours up my ass, and I expect you to do it now.”

  Kirlos smiled. “Turn around and put your hands on your desk.”

  Marc obeyed. He rarely let Kirlos top him. And he’d never admit his feelings to anyone. But at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to have his ass thoroughly plundered while he did nothing but hang on and take it.

  Kirlos shoved Marc’s pants down his legs, leaving them trapping his ankles together. “Bend over more. Show me that delicious ass.”

  Marc did as Kirlos wanted, spreading his legs as much as his pants would allow and arching his back.

  Kirlos slapped his lover’s ass and chuckled. “Much better.”

  Marc closed his eyes and bit his lip to hold his growl inside. He could do this. He could let Kirlos take him without fighting back.

  He heard Kirlos opening a drawer. He knew his lover was extracting the lube he kept in his office. But he didn’t open his eyes to look. He just kept focusing on keeping himself still and in human form.

  Kirlos pressed a few greased fingers against Marc’s anus. Marc opened to him, groaning as Kirlos worked his way inside. The Cerian wiggled his fingers, rubbing Marc in a way that had him rock hard again despite his having just filled Kirlos’s mouth with come.

  Kirlos slid his fingers out, and Marc moaned at the loss of fullness. But quickly enough, Kirlos unbuttoned his pants and pulled out his cock. He pressed the tip against Marc’s ass. “Beg me.”

  Marc growled long and low. But he’d asked, hadn’t he? He’d made himself vulnerable.

  Kirlos slapped his ass. “Do it.”

  Marc fought to hold back his wolf, but he also felt his cock jump at Kirlos’s commanding tone. He arched back, hoping that begging with his body would be good enough.

  Kirlos slapped his other cheek. “Beg for my cock.”

  Marc’s chest tightened so hard his lungs had no room to expand. He opened his mouth and nothing came out. He panted and tried again. “Please.”

  That must have been good enough because Kirlos shoved into him, forcing him to focus on nothing but accommodating his lover’s cock. Marc bucked and squirmed as his body adjusted and opened for Kirlos. The strong vibrations from Kirlos’s cock made him shake with lust.

  Kirlos gave him no mercy. His lover pounded him over and over, never slowing down. Marc’s mouth hung open. His breath rushed in and out. He pushed back, slamming his hips against his lover, needing Kirlos to touch his cock but refusing to ask him.

  Finally Kirlos released Marc’s hips and snaked a hand across his belly. But he stopped inches from the root of Marc’s cock. “Is this what you need?”

  Marc snarled.

  “Fucking stubborn bastard.” Kirlos slowed his pace, making a long, agonizing drag outward. Marc clamped hard to keep the Cerian from sliding all the way out. Kirlos chuckled and drew lazy circles on Marc’s belly, teasing closer and closer to his cock.

  Marc clutched the desk so hard he feared the wood might snap. The muscles in his legs were rock hard with tension. With each shallow breath, he grew more desperate to come. “Gods of Earth, touch my cock.”

  “That’s not begging.”

  “Kirlos --”

  ”Tell me what else you want.”

  “Fuck me. Fuck me so hard I can’t hold myself up.”

  Kirlos groaned and drove deeper as he wrapped his hand around Marc’s cock. Two strokes later, Marc went off in Kirlos’s hand. Kirlos bucked against him and shuddered. Marc felt his lover’s cock spasm as fluid heat filled his ass. Then Kirlos collapsed against him, forcing Marc’s chest onto the desk.

  Chapter 6

  When Kirlos pulled out and stood, Marc lay there, trying to catch his breath and gather his dignity. He heard Kirlos open the door to the tiny lavatory connected to Marc’s office. Then Kirlos returned with a warm wet cloth which he applied to Marc’s ass. His mind hadn’t registered just how sore and well used he was until Kirlos went to work cleaning him up.

  When Kirlos bathed his cock, he sighed. Even after two explosive climaxes, the warmth felt wickedly good. He opened his eyes and Kirlos smiled at him. “Liked that, did you?”

  Marc nodded. “Thank you.”

  Kirlos bent down and kissed him. “You know I relish the opportunity to give it to you when I can.” Marc stood and Kirlos handed him the cloth. “Your turn to do me.”

  Marc wrapped his cloth covered hand around Kirlos’s cock. “I’ll talk to Larissa. I’ll do what’s necessary to make her stay.”

  Kirlos nodded. “Good.” That was another thing Marc loved about him. He never said “I told you so.”

  Marc was zipping his pants when his wrist unit beeped. He glanced down. “Fuck. It’s Claire. This better not be another crisis.”

  Kirlos picked up his pants from where he’d kicked them. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Marc held up his hand to silence Kirlos. He knew he’d hurt Larissa deeply, but he also knew he had to make sure they were safe before he could talk to her. He pressed the talk button on his unit. “Yes?”

  “Captain, one of the guards was attacked at the entrance to the docking bays. Security believes the attacker is a shifter. He’s headed toward your quarters.”

  “I’m there.” He followed Kirlos out the door, both of them running at top speed. “We need to keep him alive until we find out what he knows of Ragland’s plans.”

  Kirlos patted one of the two holsters on his hips. “I’ve got a tranq gun.”

  “Remember, shifters need at least triple the human dose.”

  As soon as they entered the officers’ corridor, Marc saw a man who looked vaguely familiar toying with the locking mechanism on his door. Both the guards Marc had placed on guard duty lay dead on the floor. Marc began to shift in mid-stride. The change was complete before the bastard could react.

  Marc leapt, taking the man down just as the intruder started to shift, interrupting the process. Marc’s claws slashed at the man’s chest. Those who’d been altered needed to concentrate to shift. If an opponent attacked first and distracted them with pain, they were unable to attain their animal form.

  Marc knew he needed to keep Ragland’s man alive, but his lupine instincts told him to rip out the man’s throat. The enemy shifter snarled long and low, struggling to free his arms. He was stronger in human form than Marc, but Marc was no longer human. In a flash of memory, Marc remembered this man. When he shifted, he became a bear.

  Marc knew he had to end the fight before the man could let his bear free. Marc lowered his muzzle, unable to stop a keening sound as he forced himself to move away from the tender flesh of the throat and sink his fangs deep into the man’s shoulder. Relishing the taste of blood in his mouth, Marc tore at the man’s flesh. His claws sank into the man’s side, making deep gashes and holding him in place while he bit deep into the man’s shoulder.

  The shifter screamed again and again. Marc’s wolf lusted for the kill, and Marc barely held onto his human mind. When he thought he’d done enough damage to prevent the man shifting, Marc rolled them both so Kirlos could get a shot at the man’s back.

  He heard Kirlos fire and prayed his lover would err on the side of caution and keep shooting. A bear would need a huge amount of tranq to knock him out. When he’d heard Kirlos fire five times the man collapsed against him, his cries silenced. Marc waited several seconds before shoving him off and releasing him.

  Kirlos called for a security team as Marc licked his lips, savoring the last of
the man’s blood. Then Marc focused on the part of his mind that brought the shift and changed back to human form. He slipped on his pants and helped Kirlos hogtie Ragland’s man using extra thick lengths of chain made from hull alloy.

  Unlike human legends which said silver would render a shape-shifter incapacitated, the only thing that mattered about the material used to restrain a shifter was that it was so strong the shifter couldn’t break loose. He prayed the chains they used would hold. If so, his position would keep the man from shifting unless he wanted to risk breaking all his limbs.

  Marc used his wrist unit to page Claire. “Send another security team. The guards stationed at my quarters are dead. Their next of kin will need to be notified and another pair will have to take over their duties.”

  “Yes, sir. Are you and the commander all right?”

  “We’re fine. Thank you, Claire. Devlin out.”

  Kirlos laid a hand on Marc’s shoulder. “Go talk to Larissa. I’ll stand guard over the prisoner.”

  Marc looked at the door of his quarters. For a second, he considered Kirlos’s suggestion. But if he’d miscalculated the strength of the chains and the prisoner woke up and freed himself, Kirlos could be killed before Marc could reach him. Risking Larissa’s increased resentment was better than losing Kirlos permanently. He shook his head. “No, I need to be there when he wakes.”

  Kirlos opened his mouth but closed it. Marc could guess what the Cerian wanted to say. “I’m not afraid to face her. I’m afraid to leave you alone with this monster. You saw what he did to the guards and how well he fought my wolf even though he was still in human form.”

  Kirlos nodded, but he failed to mask the pain on his face.

  * * *

  Kirlos’s fingernails bit into his sweaty palms as he pounded against the barriers in the prisoner’s mind. The man was damn good at blocking, just like Marc and the other shifters. Kirlos’s head throbbed, but at least he had the satisfaction of knowing the intruder’s hurt worse. He pushed again, determined to find a name for the man -- Vance, that was it. He’d gotten in far enough to catch surface thoughts.