Calder threw himself onto the floor, rolling, trying to put the fire out. He smothered some of the flames but the burning room exploded outward, engulfing him and the greenery he’d filled the place with. It was dying with him.
“I love you, Katarina,” he said.
It came out a croak. Then a weight fell on him, and all was darkness.
*
“He’s conscious,” a male voice whispered. “Gods, how can he be conscious?”
Calder dragged his eyes open. The pain of the tiny movement nearly killed him.
He could see nothing but a gray haze and lumps of darker gray. He summoned all the air in his lungs and forced his lips to form words.
“Fuck you, Braden.”
“Whew,” Braden said. “At least he’s not crazy.”
“Calder.”
Katarina’s warm voice was the most beautiful thing in the world. Too bad Calder wasn’t. Here he was again, a black husk of a man stretched out on a slab.
He started to laugh, a harsh, ugly sound.
“Don’t.” Something cool touched his face. “Don’t move at all. I’m going to give you something for the pain and something to make you sleep. Then Dr. Laas and I are going to fix you.”
“Don’t want to sleep.” If he slept, he might never wake again, never see Katarina again.
“Foolish boy.” Dr. Laas’ clear voice, rife with cynical intelligence, reached his ears.
“I can’t rebuild you while you’re twitching and moaning. You really must stop letting burning buildings fall on you.”
“Bite me, Doc.”
He heard a squirt of air and then his body relaxed, his already-blurred vision going black.
But this time things were different. This time his friends were around him—he sensed Braden and the taller mass of Rees, with Rees’ true love Talan hovering nearby.
He smelled Judith’s perfume. Overlaid with that, the oils Aiden liked to use on Ky and Brianne. So that threesome had showed up too.
His friends had come to him, had brought Dr. Laas, a woman who would be arrested and probably terminated on sight. She’d risked her life to come here—or to have him brought to her. He didn’t know where the hell he was.
Best of all, Katarina was there. Calder felt her breath touch his face, smelled her sweet scent.
The last time he’d been dying, he’d been surrounded by cold researchers, interested in him only for their DNA samples. This time he had friends who cared for him. And Katarina.
“Katarina,” he whispered, loving the feel of her name.
“Shh. Sleep now.”
He managed to move his lips to form one more sentence. “I love you.”
He sensed her bending forward to catch his words, heard the little sob in her throat.
“I love you too, Calder.”
The world was a fine place.
*
“Calder.”
Hours later, Katarina let her tears fall on Calder’s hand, bandaged and coated with healing oils.
His one unbandaged eye opened and his lips twitched. “Hey, baby.”
She exhaled in relief. He wasn’t angry or morose. He smiled like he hadn’t been so happy in his life.
“You’re going to be fine,” she said in her best doctor manner. “I injected you with my nano-Shareem cure again.” She bit her lip. “It might hurt a little.”
“It’s excruciating,” Calder said.
Alarmed, she reached to the tubes snaking out of machines above him. He caught her arm in surprisingly strong fingers. “No. I want to stay awake. To look at you.”
Katarina let go of the painkiller line and sank back down.
“I thought I’d lost you in there,” he said, his voice like gravel.
“I thought I’d lost
you
.” She caressed his fingers where they were whole. “They arrested that Lady Demata. For negligence with a firearm.”
“Yeah?”
“They let her go though, since she was from Delta-Terra and no one wants to anger Delta-Terran traders. Besides, the patrollers said the only damage was to a Shareem and his home. She was escorted to her transport, but that’s it.”
“Figures.”
“Brianne and Talan are furious. They filed a formal protest.”
“That’s nice.”
“I’m sorry about your lair. It’s pretty much destroyed.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about my lair. But I want to strangle the woman for hurting you. Let Brianne and Talan do their worst.”
“But she didn’t hurt me. I got only a touch of the blast, and my robes protected me for the most part.”
Calder’s eye narrowed as he studied her face. He let go of her hand to trace the burn scar that ran from her cheek and down her neck. “You got burned.”
“A little. From the fire.”
“Didn’t it heal right? I want it healed.”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore. Dr. Laas helped.”
“Then why is the scar still there? You’re not Shareem, and you’re rich. You’re allowed to have the best human skin replacement in the galaxy.”
“I didn’t want to heal it.”
Calder traced the path again, his fingers warm. “Why not?”
“Because I want to know a little bit how you feel. How you felt. Disfigured— though I know this is nowhere near what happened to you.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t want to know that.”
“But I do. It makes me feel closer to you.”
“Why the hell would you want to be close to me? I’m a mess. I don’t mean my body. I mean in here.” He tapped his head. “They made me crazy.”
“Because I love you.” Katarina wasn’t afraid to say the words anymore, whether he wanted to hear them or not. “If you don’t want me to stay with you, if you want me to send you home when you’re better and never see you again, that’s fine. But I’ll always love you.” She touched the scar on her cheek. “And through this, I’ll remember you.”
“Don’t talk bullshit.”
“You can shut me out of your life if you want. But too bad, you can’t shut me out of my own thoughts.”
“I meant it’s bullshit that I’d never want to see you again. I want to see you always.
Every day. If I heal, I want you where I can touch you any time I want.”
She swallowed, her throat tight. “You’ll heal. I promise.”
“Then you’ll stay with me.” His hand clamped down on hers again. “Understand?
Because I love you, Katarina. I’ve never loved anyone before, but I know I love you. I’m not letting you go. All right?”
Katarina couldn’t stop her smile, though tears slid from her eyes at the same time.
“All right.” She kissed his lips. “I can live with that.”
“So you’ll stay?”
“I kind of have to. This is my house.”
“Good.” Calder let his eye close, his body and the drugs drawing him back into healing sleep. “Because if you want to leave me, I’ll have to spank you.”
Katarina’s heart sped, her entire body tingling in anticipation. “Spank me anyway,”
she whispered. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Epilogue
Six months later
“Behold, the woman who tamed The Beast.”
Braden slid into his place at Judith’s bar and grinned across the table at Calder and Katarina. Calder held Katarina a little closer, liking the feel of her backside on his lap.
It had taken a long time for him to completely heal, but his skin was mostly in place and mostly whole. He still had a few burn scars on his face and a couple snaking down his neck and his arms, but he had ceased to cover them up. Let the world see what he’d done to save the woman he loved.
The night was hot and the patrons sat languidly, sipping cool drinks. Judith flirted with a human space captain who sat at the bar, the man flicking curious glances at the Shareem.
“The Beast is gone,” Calder said to Braden.
“That’s what I mean,” Braden said. “Too bad though, eh, Katarina? No monster ravishing you in his lair.”
Katarina stretched, which pressed her breasts enticingly into Calder’s side. “I don’t know. We manage to have a lot of fun at home.”
Calder lived with Katarina now, despite the shock of her neighbors. He’d let his wrecked place go without qualm, rescuing the very few belongings he treasured.
Katarina was the only treasure he wanted.
“I’ll bet.” Braden’s look turned wistful. “Tell me a little?”
Katarina gave Calder an inquiring look, and he answered with a nod. Let Braden eat his heart out.
“I like the restraints,” she said. “Calder has all kinds of them. I don’t know where he gets them.”
Braden’s gaze went glassy. “Certain vendors cater to level threes.”
“Yesterday, he dismissed all the servants and tied me to the railings on my staircase. There I was on the stairs, face-up, naked and spread-eagled, unable to move.
Anyone could have come over and seen me like that. And done whatever they wanted to me.”
Braden made a strangled noise in his throat.
Calder recalled the “lesson” he’d taught Katarina. He’d left the house entirely and returned a half-hour later, coming upon her as though he were a visitor who’d found a delectable woman displayed for his use.
He remembered that he’d meant to wander the city for an hour or so before returning, but the thought of her waiting for him drastically cut the time. He had to have her before he died.
Katarina had begged him to be good to her. Calder hadn’t listened. He’d taken out the level-three toys he’d purchased on his outing and fucked her with every single one of them. Then, thinking he was about to explode, he’d turned her over and fucked her himself.
Calder was already hard, and he watched Braden’s skin flush as Katarina continued. “Calder has taught me to take it in the ass. He taught me gently at first, but now I’m learning to take it rough.”
Calder followed the swallow down Braden’s throat. “Really?” the man croaked.
“He says I should be ready to take two cocks very soon.”
Braden nearly knocked over the table getting up. “How about now?”
Katarina looked at Calder, her eyes twinkling. His bad, wicked baby—he’d taught her well. He’d dared her to get Braden worked up if they saw him today, and she’d done it in thirty seconds flat.
“Want to?” he asked her.
Katarina’s eyes widened. He hadn’t told her that part.
“I…” She looked back at Braden, who was begging for it with his whole body. “I think I would. If it’s all right with you.”
Calder nuzzled her ear. “You ask permission nice, sweetheart. I think you’re ready for two Shareem. I want you to have that. I want to hear you scream in pleasure.”
“I think I’d like that too.”
“So can we go?” Braden asked. He must not have released today—he looked like he was ready to drag Katarina across the table and screw her right there. He’d never make it to her house up on the hill.
Calder took pity on him. “Judith.” He gestured to the door that led to her stairwell.
“May we?”
Judith looked up from her pilot, absorbed enough in him to not ask to join them.
“Go ahead. Don’t leave it a wreck.”
“We won’t,” Katarina said. She wouldn’t. Katarina was an incredibly tidy person, even though she had all those servants to clean up after her.
Braden headed up the stairs without waiting. Calder gave Katarina a deep kiss and led her up after him.
*
Judith had a room upstairs set up for sex. Calder had never been in it but Braden obviously had, because he led them to it immediately and seemed to know his way around it. Judith had planned well—in addition to a bed, she had a vertical padded rack to which a person could be tethered for either serious or playful bondage. She didn’t stock floggers and manacles and the like because most Shareem brought their own, each knowing their sex toys as well as musicians knew their instruments.
As Katarina stood gaping at the setup, Calder ordered her to strip.
He loved this part, Calder thought as Katarina’s clothes slid from her body. He loved watching her breasts emerge from the confining silk, nipples tightening as his gaze trained on them, loved it when she bent over to slide off her leggings. Her round
backside beckoned his cock, and usually he was up against her as soon as the cloth fell to the floor.
Today he let her finish without touching her, not missing how Braden’s body went rigid at the sight. Jealousy touched him but Braden had been brought along for Katarina’s pleasure, nothing more. Braden was the sex toy today.
Braden removed his own clothes without taking his eyes off Katarina. The man moved like a robot, entire body stiff except for his widening blue eyes.
Calder stood comfortably in the sleeveless tunic he’d taken to wearing. The black chain on his arm, identical to Braden’s, indicated what he was—Shareem, still enslaved.
But he’d never been so happy to show off his chains. He was enslaved to Katarina now, and that was all that mattered.
“What would turn me on,” he said to Katarina, his lady love, “is to see you rocking on top of Braden, taking him deep inside.”
“Yeah, that would turn me on too.” Braden moved quickly to the bed, spread himself on it and pressed his thumb behind his rock-hard cock. “Don’t hesitate on my account.”
Katarina slanted Calder a glance. “Are you sure?”
“Obey me, Katarina. That’s what I want or punishment follows.”
“I’m having my punishment
now
,” Braden said. “Please, I’m dying over here.”
Katarina smiled. It was a hot smile, full of wickedness but also excitement and trust.
She knew why Calder wanted to share with Braden, what Calder planned to do. He’d talked about it and described it, but this was the first day he’d said she was ready.
Katarina approached the bed—wise Judith had altered it to be low enough for a woman to easily mount a man—and put her hands on Braden’s chest.
Calder held his breath, his blood hot, his cock pounding, as Katarina slid her thigh over Braden’s hips. Braden caught her arms and helped her on then Katarina, with a little sigh, lowered herself onto his cock.
Braden’s head went back. “Thank you, my friend. Oh, that’s
nice
.”
Katarina started to rock, impaled on Braden, her eyes closed, lost in the feeling. Her pheromones flooded the room, Calder’s lady learning how to let go and take pleasure when it was offered. Only with Calder there of course. With his permission and with him watching.
Katarina opened her eyes and smiled over her shoulder at Calder. Oh yes, the woman belonged to him, and Calder belonged to
her
. She’d roped and tied him with her love and Calder didn’t mind in the slightest.