Oath of Challenge Conquering Kate (12 page)

It was too much. At his denial, she went over the edge. Everything inside her went tight and then loose. The pulsing pleasure consumed her totally. She was completely lost to blind sensation. There was only the feel of his hard fingers stroking inside her, his hand on her breast, his cock against her ass, her sex clenching and relaxing. There was only pure pleasure.

When the last wave faded, she clung to the rail with renewed desperation. Her body felt limp. Her legs were still shaking. When Tair gave a sudden groan, she cried out in surprise.

His pleasure flooded through her, swamping her senses and making her scream. He groaned loudly as he found his own release. The two of them shook from the force of it, and then went still.

Kate came back to awareness slowly. The sounds of the animals in the night registered first. Then, she felt the cool breeze from the lake and the heat from Tair draped over her. He moved back slowly and stood up. She did the same.

She released the rail and noted with surprise that her hands were aching from where she’d gripped it so hard. She flexed them a couple of times as she turned around to face Tair. He was blocking her again.

When she caught sight of his face, she swallowed hard. He looked…she couldn’t describe it. He looked shaken, as if he’d seen a ghost or had a tremendous scare. Just as quickly as she thought it, his face changed and he smiled. He reached forward and lifted her hand from her side.

Rubbing it softly between his own hands and soothing the ache, he brought it slowly to his mouth. Then he placed a kiss into her palm, and said simply, “Thank you for the gift.”

Kate could only stare at him wordlessly and wonder why her heart felt too big within her chest.

Kate woke up on her ninth day in Shimeria to an empty bed. She turned onto her back and stretched lazily. She felt a smile tug her lips and knew she was being ridiculous. She was not a morning person. She should be glowering and irritably wishing for coffee.

Instead, she felt surprisingly content. The last six days had been incredible. During the day, she and Tair had explored Shimeria. The friendship that had sprung up between them surprised her. And at night… She sighed and felt the familiar warmth steal through. At night, they had explored each other.

He was a good companion and an inventive, generous lover. They had refrained from controversial subjects like linking or leaving, and in the end had gotten along very well. He still goaded her with good-natured teasing, and she still responded by giving him a hard time.

However, there was an underlying easy affection to it all that was unfamiliar. She hadn’t just landed on an unfamiliar planet. Nothing about their affair was familiar territory either.

He had blocked her a great deal. She wondered about it, but figured he was trying to keep the peace. He had been careful not to push her sexually either. Well, he had fulfilled
a lot
of fantasies, but he hadn’t pushed for intercourse very hard.

They had walked a very fine line sexually to satisfy each other. The only problem for her was the absence of that final act only tantalized her all the more. Each time they came together and didn’t have intercourse, the desire to go all the way only grew greater. She laughed inwardly as she realized she sounded like a teenager.

Still, the lack of aggression from Tair bothered her in some indefinable way. She had a nagging feeling that everything was too perfect. She was waiting for unhappiness to rear its ugly head. She was used to being happy on her own, but she wasn’t used to having that feeling with someone else. She distrusted it instinctively.

Yet, the fantasy popped into her head at times. She had thought occasionally about staying on Shimeria with Tair. Like some kind of crazy dream, she imagined working and coming home to him every night. She knew the relationship was doomed, but the lure of trying to make it work was strong.

She had waited for the intensity between them to die down, and it had to some degree. The passion still burned hotly, but there was comfort and affection underneath it. Thinking back to all the broken relationships in her life, she realized she should be thankful that her time with Tair was limited to two weeks. Already the thought of leaving produced a hollow ache in her chest. She didn’t want to imagine what it would feel like if they had several months or years together before a split.

Shrugging her grim thoughts aside, she resolved to enjoy the time she had with Tair. Kate Carson was no wimpy whiner. She grabbed hold of life and wrung it dry. Feeling the need to do something, anything, she wondered what to do with all this energy.

The image of Sharon filled her mind. Sharon would have said, “Kate, what you need is a plan.” With a broad smile, Kate gave a mental nod of agreement. Maybe she would surprise Tair today with some new move. She was no circus performer, but she might be able to come up with something to shock the hell out of him.

Sitting up, she brushed her hair back off of her face and listened. She didn’t hear Tair moving around anywhere or feel him. He was blocking her obviously. Still not hearing him, she decided he must have gone out. She headed for the bathroom, plotting and planning.

Later, after she showered, she realized she had forgotten to bring clothes into the bathroom. She glanced around. One of his shirts was hanging from a hook. She hesitated. She was alone. The no clothing rule applied only when he was around. Besides, it was really more of a form of sexual foreplay than a rule. She rolled her eyes a little at the two of them and grabbed the shirt. Shrugging into it, she padded down the hallway barefoot, humming softly to herself.

Spotting Tair in the living room in a chair, she halted in sudden surprise at his presence and the look on his face. He was staring at nothing, but the expression on his face was grim. He was wearing pants; but his chest was bare and he was bootless. Clearing her throat, she walked into the room, and said, “Good Morning.”

She felt a chill go through her when he turned to face her. His eyes were hard and he looked dangerous. His lips moved in a small smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He said pleasantly, “Good Morning, Kate. Please come greet me properly.”

He was sounding very Shimerian suddenly. Kate admired his grasp of slang, but noticed his English grew more formal when he was feeling angry or some other intense emotion. It was not a good sign.

Wondering what had caused this sudden mood, she walked over to him and gave him a cautious kiss on his mouth. His mouth moved under hers with lazy precision. She felt the warm glow of arousal and pulled back to look at his face again.

He was looking at her with naked hunger in his eyes. The intensity of the look startled her. Before she could comment, his expression changed and he smiled warmly, with casual intimacy.

Tumbling her onto his lap, he cradled her close and kissed her enthusiastically. When he raised his head, she looked up at him in surprise. She said huskily, “Well, good morning.”

He grinned and said simply, “You look beautiful.”

Kate felt heat rise into her face. It was ridiculous to be so touched by such a simple compliment and a few kisses and hugs. Lifting her chin, she said with mock solemnity, “Of course. It’s a curse. Thousands of men throw themselves at my feet each day, but I endure.”

Tair ran a finger down her cheek and laughed. Suddenly, he raised his head and a resigned look passed over his face. Kate asked, “What is it?”

Tair looked back down at her and asked, “Kate, do you trust me?”

Kate was uncomfortable at the sudden question. She did trust him on a lot of levels. In fact, she trusted him more than she should, given her track record and their current situation. She looked away and searched for an evasion. Her heart pounded as she really thought about his question.

Tair felt his heart sink when she made no response. The temptation to scan her thoughts was great, but he needed to hear the words. Just as he was sure that she was going to answer negatively or evade, he heard a soft-spoken, “yes” in the silence of the room. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. She looked miserable, but honest. It was enough.

Kate saw the relief flood Tair’s face. He was acting so strangely this morning. What was his problem? She opened her mouth to ask when the front door opened.

With a sinking feeling, she watched Jadik stroll into the room. Her thoughts went into a frantic spin as she realized that the linking discussion had just gone to the top of the agenda. She straightened up and climbed off of Tair in a hurry.

Jadik said warmly, “Hello!”

Kate stood next to Tair’s chair and sent looks back and forth to the two of them in silent accusation. Settling on Jadik as her first target, she said icily, “On my world it is common courtesy to knock.”

Jadik looked confused at her words. Raising an eyebrow, he answered mildly, “I broadcast my coming arrival to Tair. He answered me. On my world that is considered courtesy enough.”

Kate felt off-balance and extremely agitated. Without thinking, she said coolly, “Yes, well, I’m human, not Shimerian. A mental knock doesn’t cut it. If you want to enter our home, you’ll knock physically, too.”

Suddenly realizing just how much she had revealed, she added, “I meant Tair’s home. While I’m here.” She turned and paced further away from the two of them.

Tair felt like shouting his triumph at her mistake. He was making more progress than he had thought. With more confidence, he said boldly, “Kate, you must link with Jadik today.”

Looking at her with total sincerity, he said firmly, “Your protection supercedes all else.”

Kate knew deep down that there was no way around it. She had gone over the tutorials during her brief times alone, looking for some loophole, but could find none. It was Shimerian law. He was a cop. She was an attorney and a law-abiding person, too. She had no desire to become a criminal at this point. She could even appreciate that it was a tradition and a safety measure that was old and ingrained.

She felt uneasy and unsure about it, but she understood their point of view. Buying time, she said coolly, “I haven’t made my decision yet.”

Jadik sat down in the chair across from Tair and watched her calmly. In a soothing voice, he said, “Kate, I may be able to help.”

Kate regarded him suspiciously. She liked Jadik, but there was something about him that made her nervous. He reminded her of an iceberg. What you saw on the surface was only the tip. She asked shortly, “How?”

Tair watched their exchange and held his breath. If Jadik was going in the direction he suspected, the results could be positive or completely disastrous. With Kate, there was no way of knowing how she would react.

Jadik leaned forward and said calmly, “You do not trust me. It makes it difficult for you to feel comfortable.”

Well, that was true. She didn’t see what they could do about it, though. Nodding her head in agreement, she said, “No offense, Jadik, but I don’t know you very well.”

He nodded his understanding and said gravely, “To have trust, one must give it. I am going to reveal something to you that very few know. There are rumors about my abilities, but very few people know the extent of them. If they became common knowledge, my life would be in jeopardy. I would be treated as an oddity or even a threat. I am trusting you with my life now as I ask you to trust me.”

Kate was extremely curious. Jadik was staring at her with total intensity and sincerity. The effect was pretty powerful. She gave a nod and said simply, “I won’t tell anyone.”

She walked to the sofa and sat down with her body angled toward him. She added gravely, “I promise.”

Jadik gave her a slight smile and said, “First of all, I am a shifter.”

Kate was confused. In a surprised voice, she said, “You’re bisexual?”

He looked stunned and then repelled. When Tair burst into laughter, Jadik shot him a lethal glare. He said slowly and with great enunciation, “I am attracted to only women. That is not at all what I meant.”

Kate couldn’t help smiling at the indignant look on his face. It broke the gravity of the moment. Relaxing her shoulders, and leaning back on the sofa, she said, “Now, Jadik, it was a perfectly logical mistake. I have no idea what a shifter is.”

Jadik still looked a little unsettled at her assumption, but he said, “I am a shapeshifter. You have probably seen some of the animals here with the same ability.”

Kate was shocked. Recoiling at little, she ordered, “Tell me you don’t turn into a rat.”

Tair interrupted indignantly, “Deva is not a rodent. She is a
sheka
.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

A sudden thought occurred to her. Looking at Jadik with horror, she exclaimed, “Oh, no! Tell me you’re not…!”

Now Jadik rolled his eyes. The humor of it struck him and he asked teasingly, “Have you ever seen us in the same room together?”

Kate made a choking sound.

Jadik laughed uproariously. “I am joking. No, I am not Deva or any
sheka
.”

She continued to regard him suspiciously. He became sober and said earnestly, “Kate, I vow to you I am not a rat or a rodent of any kind. Truly.”

Turning to Tair, he said, “I cannot believe I have said those words.”

Tair laughed until his sides ached. Kate would never cease to surprise him. There was no one like her. Only Kate could get one of the most powerful men on the planet to make such a ridiculous oath.

Kate believed him. They might think it was a bizarre suggestion, but she had been on Planet Kink long enough to know that things were often not what they seemed. Relieved, she asked, “Okay, then what do you change into?”

Jadik said, “I have different forms, but they are all Shimerian. In other words, they are merely different body forms I can assume at will.”

When she arched an eyebrow and opened her mouth, he said quickly, “All of them are male forms. I am not female.”

Jadik shot a suspicious look at Tair, but Tair was studying the ceiling as if in great thought. However, the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth gave away his true feelings.

Jadik glared at him and said, “You could help with explanations. She is your pactmate.”

Tair gave up and laughed. He said, “Yes, Jadik, but you are handling it so well.”

Kate asked, “You mean, you can look like someone else?”

Jadik turned back to her. “Yes, I have several different forms. The body size is approximately the same, but the individual features are different. I use the shifting in my work sometimes to hide my identity. It is effective.”

Abruptly turning very serious, he said, “Kate, shifters are rare and not understood. Many people regard someone different as a threat. It is this way on your planet as well as mine.”

He continued grimly, “However, I hide my ability for other reasons as well. There are certain mental abilities that come with the gift. I would rather not discuss them now, but I ask you to trust me. We will talk about them some time if you have questions. I will answer you honestly.”