Wrath of the Stars Read online

  When he spoke, the sound sent shivers of sensation through her body until they gathered in her belly and her channel moistened. It would have been embarrassing if it didn't happen to every Hashka woman out there when she heard a man who would be a suitable mate. The gods designed them to find their partner through scent and audio cues and it was Venya's destiny to find him on a world where her life was at stake for simply being a talent.

  "I have an excuse. You are still in my shirt." He laughed and the sound wrapped around her and soaked in.

  "True. Is that a dress?" She admired the pale gold fabric.

  "It is. As soon as you finish eating, you can get changed and I can resume my normal state of apparel." He winked and she saw a flicker of gold in his eyes.

  She stuffed the last crumbs into her mouth and shoved the platter at him while she rinsed the bread down with water. The moment that he stood and turned his back, she untied the shirt and released it, scrambling for the soft gold gown.

  She had the gown over her head when she heard him return and he laughed as she fought her way out of the fabric. When her torso and hips were decently covered, she wiggled her toes. "Do I have shoes, too?"

  He nodded and produced a pair of rich brown boots from next to the bed. "Here you go. Roroth said your feet should be fine if they were encased, but he gave me some more of that salve in case you need it."

  She stuck her feet out and wiggled them again. "Thank you for that. I am sure that my family will reimburse you for any expenses on my behalf."

  With fingers that were slightly clumsy with the wrapping on her wrists, she tugged and tied the boots into place. They fit snugly to the top of her calves and had nice flat soles. "I could have used these on my first sprint through the woods."

  He was wrapping his shirt back over that mouth-watering chest again and she had to admit that part of her was crying in disappointment. "What is on the agenda now?"

  "We have to get you back to the spaceport without running into the priesthood."

  Venya perked up and sent her mind out to evaluate her surroundings. "That is easier said than done. They are here."

  "What do you mean?" Morrer was on alert and Lorlie looked surprised.

  "I mean they are coming up the street and heading here. Someone has told them where to find me." She got to her feet and pulled her power into a tight ball. They would not take her by surprise again.

  Morrer's eyes were glowing gold. Venya wasn't sure what that meant, but she wanted to get away from the people who had helped her so that they would not be in harm's way.

  "Let's take this outside. I don't want Roroth or Lorlie in danger." She didn't wait for Morrer but walked to the door with her senses on the alert.

  One of the priests rushed her the moment she came outside. A blast of energy from her hand struck him and sent him spinning backward. Morrer was on her heels and he faced the men coming up behind her while she faced the ones coming in from the other side of the street.

  Raw power was fine, but she needed something that would do more than knock them back. Venya reached behind her and around the corner, grabbing a pile of hot coals from the smithy that she used to strike the six men in their groins. Their howls as she pressed the coals into their flesh must have spooked Morrer's men, because as she turned, his eyes were still glowing and his targets were unconscious on the ground.

  "They are dead. Yours, I need to talk to. Stay here." Morrer darted past her and approached the priests writhing and screaming on the ground.

  Morrer's voice took on a strange resonant tone. "You need to remember who you serve. This woman is not for your ritual, she is the means by which Morvigeth will resume its life cycle and its productivity. For that, one of you who still denies the touch of his star, I give you pain."

  One male screamed as the power touched him.

  Venya used her senses to look at Morrer and he glowed three times as bright as he had before.

  When he turned and met her gaze, her knees buckled. In three long strides, he stood in front of her and held her in his arms. The blaze was riding him hard and when he leaned down to kiss her, it coursed into her with the power of a lightning strike.

  His flavour was bright, clean and tasted like the fruit she had eaten. She moaned and reached up to hold tightly to him as she climbed him to press her hips against his through the dress and his trousers.

  Power flowed between them until her skin was alive with it, his hands gripped her hips and pulled her against him as he pressed her to the side of a building. The bulge of his cock rubbed her clit once, twice and then she exploded in release, her mind scattering to the winds and waves of energy pouring through her.

  Gasping, Venya pulled her lips from Morrer's and she felt her power surge again as he rocked her against the wall again. Her own reflection was in his metallic gold eyes and her normal dark rainbow gaze was a brilliant green.

  There was a mind sharing her body where there had not been before. It was a faint presence but palpable for her nonetheless.

  Venya literally knew her own mind and she was no longer alone. "Who is inside me?"

  "Searaline, beloved of Lassing."

  "Emissaries. Please, come with me. I have somewhere you can stay while you work on your…adaptation." Lorlie was taking their changed eyes in stride, the writhing men on the ground were looking at the couple in shock and one rapidly shifted to his knees as he bowed and begged forgiveness.

  "I am not an emissary." Venya let her legs unlock and slowly slid down his body to the ground.

  Morrer touched her cheek in a caress so gentle she almost cried at the affection implicit in the touch. "You are now."

  She didn't bother fighting. The mind within hers was weak, but the blaze of energy was unmistakable. There was a star in her mind and as its influence grew, it would be able to take her body and there was nothing she could do about it.

  The bond had been created.

  Chapter Six

  Lorlie's smaller form led them down the main street to a small farmhouse with images of a younger woman and a handsome man with lavender eyes hanging on the walls. "My husband, Neruo. He was a good man and I miss him every day."

  "You were happy and that is what mattered." Venya smiled at the woman as she absorbed the truth of the emotions in Lorlie's eyes.

  "You are correct. This way. I have a guest room that even my grandchildren don't know about. You will be safe there while the two of you complete your connection to the stars." She smiled and gave them a wink.

  Morrer was suspicious. "How do you know about it?"

  "I wasn't born on Morvigeth. I came here ninety years ago to refuel my ship, met Naruo and never left, but the priests here never sat well with me. On Niska, we had an emissary who organized things and spread the blessings of the star through the planet itself. The sacrifices here are an abomination." She was stern, but when she lifted the carpet away to expose a hidden stairway, Venya sighed in relief.

  Morrer went down into the darkness after their host. "I have stopped all of the public sacrifices, but there are a few sects still trying to practice."

  "Yes, I have heard that. The villagers stormed the temple in Sakkath, didn't they?" Lorlie turned on lights and exposed a very comfortable room.

  "Yes. Thank you for your hospitality."

  "It is my honour to serve. What is the name of Lassing's lady?" The eagerness was unmistakable.

  "Searaline. The lost star." Morrer took Venya's hand and something inside her answered his words and his touch.

  "I hope she and Lassing will bless this village. I swear to you that I will find the one who lead the priests here and bring them to you for judgement." Lorlie bowed. "I will bring food in a few hours. There is water and a lavatory through that door. It is soundproof, by the way. Naruo and I used to hide in here so that the children wouldn't complain about the noise."

  "Thank you, Lorlie. Your assistance will not be forgotten." Morrer's tactful dismissal made Lorlie's weathered face blush as she climbed the sta
irs and closed the hatch, locking them in.

  Venya was suddenly shy. Morrer stripped off his shirt and turned to her with that golden gleam swirling in his black eyes. Lassing was not completely taking over and that made Venya relax slightly. It was one thing to be in the grip of a man for her first time, another to be in the grip of a god.

  "Do I have a choice in this?" She mentally kicked herself for sounding so timid.

  "No. You are the most powerful psychic that we have yet found and Morvigeth needs all the power it can get. The planet's energy has been depleted by the grip of the priesthood. It needs to be rebuilt if it is to go forward." He was approaching her as he spoke.

  "Is that the only reason for this?" She gestured to both of them.

  "No, I want you. Your lust for life and determination to survive is a reflex I have a lot of respect for, but your body makes me hard when I so much as think about you." He continued to approach her until she sat on the bed in surprise.

  Venya watched in confusion as he unlaced her boots and tossed them aside. She had no idea what was going on until he began to stroke her feet and answering bolts of sensation ricocheted between her thighs.

  Biting her lip to keep in the moans was no use, her body was running riot every time his fingers slipped between her toes. Gasping, she opened her eyes and looked at his amused but aroused face. "I have no idea why it is my feet. I swear."

  The tip of his finger traced between her toes gently and she drew a shaky breath.

  She was wet. The slick moisture between her thighs was undeniable. When he flipped her long skirt back to expose her knees and thighs, her blush threatened to turn her permanently violet.

  "Is this your first time?" His voice was low and husky between her thighs.

  "Yes. Not a lot of privacy for this sort of thing on a ship." She was babbling, but she couldn't help it as the heat of his mouth approached her slit.

  When his tongue parted her folds, her breath whooshed out of her lungs. His tongue was hot and she rocked her hips to bring him inside her as he continued to lick and stab at her. When he flicked at her clit, she gasped for air again as her body spiralled rapidly to completion. Her scream tore through the room as heat exploded from the centre of her being and she twisted against him, her hands in his hair.

  He left her for a moment to remove his trousers and when he returned, his hands lifted her dress over her head before he guided her down to the bedding.

  Venya welcomed the feeling of his skin against hers as Morrer engaged her in a kiss that had her squirming against him in less than a minute. His hands stroked her breasts and thumbed her nipples, the sensations opening new avenues of nerve reactions to her senses. She would never have connected a light pinch to her nipples with a twinge in her clit, but that was exactly what was going on.

  His kisses left her lips and trailed down her neck, showing her sensitive areas that aroused and enflamed her.

  A low noise came to Venya's ears and she was shocked to realize it was her throat moaning in reaction to the suckling tug of Morrer at her breasts. His fingers were learning all of her textures and when he slid two fingers inside her, she arched against him, hovering on the edge of release. Before she could embrace the climax, he removed his fingers and his blunt head was pressing against her.

  He hovered over her, his eyes swirling gold and black and she felt the presence at the back of her mind surge forward. "Once and forever, love."

  A voice that was not her own came from Venya's throat. "Bring me to you, Lassing."

  Morrer moved into her, inch by inch. Just when she thought he could go no further, more of him pushed into her.

  Venya squirmed at the alien feeling of having a man inside her. Her body was delighted, but her mind struggled to adjust. She had just relaxed slightly when he started to move and her mind went blank as instinct took over.

  She arched her hips into him, welcoming each incoming thrust as he rocked, slid and pulsed against her. The mind of Searaline came closer with her rising heat and impending release.

  In a last effort, Venya tried to hold back her orgasm, but Morrer rubbed his thumb across her clit and she felt her mind call to the star who would call her home.

  A scream came from her throat and power flowed into her as Lassing-Morrer groaned and jerked his hips into her with short pulsing thrusts.

  I will not intrude unless it is required, Venya. Thank you for sharing your body with me.

  It was not my choice.

  This is true, but it was your destiny. The presence of Searaline caressed her as a mother would do to console a child.

  * * * *

  "Are you all right, love?" Lassing was looming above her, his face contorted with concern.

  "I am well. She is not happy, but she is accepting. I am glad to be here with you, love. We have much work to do." Searaline caressed her beloved's face, his golden eyes smiled with relief.

  This body was very different from Oritia's. It was stronger, more powerful, but less welcoming of change. Venya was a strong woman with strong ideas and ties to a family that would be leaving Morvigeth without her. It was that knowledge that made Venya fight Searaline's occupation.

  In just the few minutes that Searaline had been in her new emissary's mind, she had found the knowledge of many living stars and the pantheistic upbringing that worshipped those who brought life and prosperity to a variety of worlds. Venya had never dreamt of becoming part of one of those beings, but she was born to be an emissary.

  Searaline soothed her host. Venya was very attracted to Morrer, but was not sure about a man that she had met in such odd circumstances.

  Venya, he was destined for you, just as I was destined for you. Eventually, if you wish, you will have children who can make their own way through the stars, even travelling with your people if you wish.

  That seems very far away right now. What if my family doesn't approve of him as my mate?

  They will. They trusted him to find you, after all.

  Searaline smiled inwardly as something in her host settled. That is true and a relief.

  I knew you would feel that way. Do not hesitate to share your fears. They can all be dealt with in turn.

  Thank you, Searaline.

  Thank you, Venya, for bringing me closer to the one I love.

  Chapter Seven

  The stars left Morrer and Venya in the middle of the third mating. His hard thrusts slowed and he caressed her lips with his before pulling out of her, rolling her to her side, lifting her thigh and sliding back into her.

  He curved around her, his hand stroking her breasts and belly while he kissed her again and gently gnawed her neck while he slowly stroked and slid inside her.

  Venya felt cherished as he took care with her sore body. She pressed her hips back against him and when she felt him start to shake, she reached down and stroked her clit until her body clenched and milked his cock in slow, steady palpitations.

  When he groaned and stiffened against her, she cheated and used her talent to squeeze his balls, causing him to shove violently against her as he came.

  "How did you do that?" Morrer's question was mumbled against her neck as they lay together, exhausted.

  "I am a telekinetic. If it wasn't for them sneaking up on me with a knockout rag, I never would have been taken by the priests." She sighed and slumped against him. His arms were tight around her and the air temperature was perfect, even if the scent of their mating made her nose wrinkle.

  "I am sorry that you had no choice. It was unfair of Searaline to choose you." He nuzzled his face against her neck.

  "Apparently, it is my destiny. I don't know how to explain this to my parents. My mother will not be happy." Her chuckle was weak.

  "The goddess will have to explain. It will be some time before we are able to leave the planet. It needs far too much repair."

  She sighed. "I knew that you were going to say that. Prepare to have regular visitors. They will be back whenever they can."

  "We should ge
t the temple back into shape then. They will need a place to stay when they come."

  Venya was almost asleep when she felt a tingle in her thigh that moved up her body, culminating on the right side of her face. "What the hell is that?"

  Morrer was asleep, but his left side was marked with sharp swirls and jagged lines in a pale gold. She saw the same marks on her own hip and left the bed to check her reflection in the lav.

  The mirror didn't lie. Searaline had marked her right side in the same pattern as Morrer's marks. It was right up to her temple, down her cheekbone and over her jawline before it moved down the rest of her in that pale gold with swirls and jags.

  Marked as an emissary for all to see.

  Not just an emissary. A mated emissary. We mark our emissaries so that we match the right male with the right female for mating when we borrow your bodies.

  You have marked others?

  Morrer's brother, Jenner and his mate, Oritia. Morrer and Jenner have the same face, so we needed to tell them apart, just in case.

  The same marks as we wear?

  No, you have a different pattern. It is a distinct pattern to Morvigeth. Even the evil priests will recognize the marks. It marks all their temple walls.

  Venya didn't have anything to say to that.

  Bathe and rest. You will see some of the handiwork of the joining in the morning. There was an amused tone of anticipation.

  Bathing sounded like an excellent idea. Semen was snaking down her thighs and the sticky feeling was overwhelming.

  Venya took a quick shower and then returned to the bed. Morrer's cock was relaxed against his thigh and she took this moment to examine him closely. An idea came to her and she returned to the lav to gather a warm, wet washcloth and a towel.

  She used the washcloth to clean his cock and was fascinated by the movement of the skin under her hand. She dried him just as carefully and then used her mouth on him. His fingers tangled in her hair before she had more than the head of him in her mouth, so she gave him a quick look.