of
the station. After being cooped up aboard ship for so many days,
the activity will be helpful.”
“Of course! A romantic stroll is always a
perfect end to the evening!”
As they rose, many of the guests chatted
quietly amongst themselves. Wren could feel their curious gazes on
her. The Commander rose and held out his hand to the mostly naked
woman, “I have chosen you, Ilira, to be my companion for the
evening.”
She curtsied, her breasts swaying with her
movements. “I am honored to serve you, as always, Commander.”
Kyr rose then, “Forgive me, Commander, but I
think the festivities might be too much for Wren. She is not yet
accustomed to our ways.”
The Commander nodded, “Certainly Lieutenant.
Enjoy your tour of Sector F9, my dear.”
They left quickly. Outside the door Wren met
Kyr’s gaze and said, “Do I even want to know what is going on in
there?”
He shrugged, “I told you that our attitudes
about sex are very different here. Taking a woman in front of
others, so that they too may benefit is a common practice.”
“So he’s going to fuck her in front of
everyone else there for their entertainment?” she asked, needing to
hear him say that.
“And for his. The Commander loves to
perform,” Kyr responded. “You may be more comfortable if you
change. I doubt you’ll wish to be walking around openly in that
gown,” he said as they entered their chamber.
“Okay. I want out of here, Kyr. Just being in
his presence makes my skin crawl.”
“You’re certain that he’s involved in the
disappearance of the sentinel mates?” Kyr asked.
Wren wasn’t offended by his doubt. The truth
was that she still doubted herself all the time. But she couldn’t
afford not to listen to her instincts. There was too much at stake.
“Yes... but don’t ask me how, because I don’t know. It’s the same
way that I knew which of the creepy doctors and orderlies to never
be alone with when I was a kid.”
Kyr clenched his fists. The anger that filled
him when he thought of her alone, vulnerable and unprotected, was
foreign to him. He’d never been one to experience strong emotions.
He’d been told that finding his mate would change things for him,
but he hadn’t imagined it would be so intense. Still, it wasn’t
something he could focus on at that moment. Keeping a clear head
would keep them alive and get them to safety. “I will never let
anyone harm you again,” he vowed.
Wren met his gaze, saw the sincerity in his
eyes, and the feelings that she’d been trying so hard to hold at
bay, welled up inside her. He’d asked before if it mattered why
they were together, in that moment, she realized she didn’t care
about the how or why, only that it was. “So this HC scanner--where
is it and how the hell do we get there?”
“That is where we are going now. The medical
center here has one and I have friends who work there who will help
us... They will also get a message to Lexian. Our shuttle is fast,
but not fast enough or powerful enough to get away from the
entirety of F9’s forces.”
Thoughts of Lexian prompted vivid
recollections of their earlier conversation and she shivered. “Do
you love him?”
“That is a difficult question. He and I have
been together for many years, trained together, fought together.
But my feelings for him are very different from my feelings for
you.”
“But you are attracted to him.”
Kyr let out a heavy sigh as they entered
their chamber. “These questions are why I did not wish you to know.
On Earth, did ancient warriors not engage in sex with one another?
The Spartans and the Greeks?”
“Well, yes... but that was because they often
spent months at a time away from women.”
He met her gaze levelly then, “We have never
had women, Wren. Our entire lives have been spent in the company of
men, all of us wondering what it would feel like, what it would be
like to finally know the touch of our mates.... Genetically, we are
more in every way. They
the station. After being cooped up aboard ship for so many days,
the activity will be helpful.”
“Of course! A romantic stroll is always a
perfect end to the evening!”
As they rose, many of the guests chatted
quietly amongst themselves. Wren could feel their curious gazes on
her. The Commander rose and held out his hand to the mostly naked
woman, “I have chosen you, Ilira, to be my companion for the
evening.”
She curtsied, her breasts swaying with her
movements. “I am honored to serve you, as always, Commander.”
Kyr rose then, “Forgive me, Commander, but I
think the festivities might be too much for Wren. She is not yet
accustomed to our ways.”
The Commander nodded, “Certainly Lieutenant.
Enjoy your tour of Sector F9, my dear.”
They left quickly. Outside the door Wren met
Kyr’s gaze and said, “Do I even want to know what is going on in
there?”
He shrugged, “I told you that our attitudes
about sex are very different here. Taking a woman in front of
others, so that they too may benefit is a common practice.”
“So he’s going to fuck her in front of
everyone else there for their entertainment?” she asked, needing to
hear him say that.
“And for his. The Commander loves to
perform,” Kyr responded. “You may be more comfortable if you
change. I doubt you’ll wish to be walking around openly in that
gown,” he said as they entered their chamber.
“Okay. I want out of here, Kyr. Just being in
his presence makes my skin crawl.”
“You’re certain that he’s involved in the
disappearance of the sentinel mates?” Kyr asked.
Wren wasn’t offended by his doubt. The truth
was that she still doubted herself all the time. But she couldn’t
afford not to listen to her instincts. There was too much at stake.
“Yes... but don’t ask me how, because I don’t know. It’s the same
way that I knew which of the creepy doctors and orderlies to never
be alone with when I was a kid.”
Kyr clenched his fists. The anger that filled
him when he thought of her alone, vulnerable and unprotected, was
foreign to him. He’d never been one to experience strong emotions.
He’d been told that finding his mate would change things for him,
but he hadn’t imagined it would be so intense. Still, it wasn’t
something he could focus on at that moment. Keeping a clear head
would keep them alive and get them to safety. “I will never let
anyone harm you again,” he vowed.
Wren met his gaze, saw the sincerity in his
eyes, and the feelings that she’d been trying so hard to hold at
bay, welled up inside her. He’d asked before if it mattered why
they were together, in that moment, she realized she didn’t care
about the how or why, only that it was. “So this HC scanner--where
is it and how the hell do we get there?”
“That is where we are going now. The medical
center here has one and I have friends who work there who will help
us... They will also get a message to Lexian. Our shuttle is fast,
but not fast enough or powerful enough to get away from the
entirety of F9’s forces.”
Thoughts of Lexian prompted vivid
recollections of their earlier conversation and she shivered. “Do
you love him?”
“That is a difficult question. He and I have
been together for many years, trained together, fought together.
But my feelings for him are very different from my feelings for
you.”
“But you are attracted to him.”
Kyr let out a heavy sigh as they entered
their chamber. “These questions are why I did not wish you to know.
On Earth, did ancient warriors not engage in sex with one another?
The Spartans and the Greeks?”
“Well, yes... but that was because they often
spent months at a time away from women.”
He met her gaze levelly then, “We have never
had women, Wren. Our entire lives have been spent in the company of
men, all of us wondering what it would feel like, what it would be
like to finally know the touch of our mates.... Genetically, we are
more in every way. They
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