Wrapped in Fire Read online

  “He also likes you. He enjoys your personality. When you two are together, the affection is obvious.” He slid his fingers between her thighs.

  When a long digit entered her, her eyes opened wide, and she looked at him as her chest rose and fell rapidly with her increased breathing.

  The soft, wet sounds as he moved his hand cause the blush of mortification to run through her.

  “Why do you look like you wish the bed would swallow you?” He kissed her neck.

  “The sound. In the quiet, it is very... distinctive.”

  He slid a second finger into her and moved it until the wet, smacking sounds commenced again. “That sound?”

  She turned her head and nodded. His fingers were moving carefully inside her, and she was delighted that she had fixed his nails. Without the manicure, the sounds that she was making would probably not be pleasure.

  She blushed. “Why are you still doing that?”

  He worked a third finger into her, and she gasped before she moaned and twisted as her pulse surged through her. He pulled his fingers out of her and removed the household icon from her skirt before tugging the fabric loose. Her skirt was removed from under her and dropped off the edge of the bed, and he moved away from her, removing his footwear and trousers before climbing onto her.

  He pressed into her with a cock she hadn’t really seen, and she arched up to meet him before he paused and rubbed at her clit until he felt something, and then, he moved in further. When he was two-thirds of the way in, he paused, panting. “I used my fingers so that this went more easily.” He grinned. “It worked.”

  She felt distinctly skewered. “This feels... different.”

  He chuckled and leaned forward. “It is not the easiest for the first time, but I wanted to watch your face. You are very expressive.”

  His hips shifted, and he withdrew, only to slide forward a little deeper. She gripped his arms and arched when he did it again. He rocked into her by millimetres, and when she felt his skin pressed against hers, she exhaled slowly. He was in.

  “You have done excellently, Dorra.” He kissed her in what had to be an uncomfortable position as he had to arch his back to not overshoot her face.

  He smiled. “And now we can get to the important part.”

  She frowned as he didn’t move, but then, part of him did. His cock was starting to twist, and she felt ridges moving inside her. She gasped and pressed her hips toward his as his focus moved him inside her. Her hips rocked against him, and she closed her eyes as she turned her attention to the feeling of fullness and the stroking deep inside her.

  She blinked when he kissed her, returning his kiss with small sounds of frustration as she got closer to cumming with no help from him.

  As she churned her hips against his, he nipped at her lips, and something began to press against her opening, and her clit felt its own contact. Since his hands and cock were accounted for, she had no idea what particular appendage he was using, but she wasn’t complaining. She continued to seek release with increasingly frantic motions, and he continued to leisurely kiss her. When she shrieked and clutched at him as she spasmed around him, he growled low and held himself still inside her. As she stilled, he rippled inside her, and she moaned low as she went off again.

  She shuddered and held onto him until her body relaxed and he withdrew. Dorra was confused. “You didn’t...”

  He smiled. “I don’t need to. I get what I need from you.”

  Dorra blinked. “They didn’t mention that part of things.”

  “The education station? No, there is no reason that they would. It is enough that you learn we need energy-compatible females. This is why.” He sat up at the edge of the bed and sat her with her legs to either side of his.

  She turned to look at him. “So, if we do this, will you be less moody tomorrow?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t had an actual companion before.”

  She opened and then closed her mouth with a snap. “Right. So, how do you know what you actually have to do? I mean, we could be done already...”

  He slid two fingers into her and rubbed her clit with his thumb. “No, I am pretty sure that you have more to give. I am certainly hungry for more.”

  He cupped her breast and toyed with her nipple while his fingers slowly slid in and out of her. She looked up at him, “Is this going to take long be—”

  He turned her head and kissed her, returning his hand to her breast while he slowly teased her until she was panting and sweating. Her voice was high-pitched and desperate, she gripped his hands, and when she came, she felt searing pain across her body.

  “Ow.” She looked at Hreon’s face. He was stunned. She looked down and saw the red marks under her skin. The wounds hadn’t reopened, but the claw marks were very visible.

  “Oh. The medic said they weren’t healed all the way.”

  He growled. “What did this?”

  “A client at the base. Sagar saw the damage and took me to a medic, but he was in a hurry to get me here.”

  “What. Did. This.”

  “A. Cli-ent.” She grumbled. “The medic mentioned that a few hours in a tissue regen unit would help.”

  He looked at her in surprise. “You aren’t going to tell me?”

  “Nope. You look a little power drunk right now.” She looked down, and he had removed his fingers in the initial surprise. “So, since I am gross right now, can I put my clothes back on?”

  He scowled. “You are not gross; you are injured. If you need medical assistance, it will be provided.”

  “But the clothing thing. Can I put clothes on again?”

  He smiled. “I am not stopping you.”

  She grabbed the hand that was still across her breasts and pulled at it. “I beg to differ. I am not leaving without it.”

  Hreon looked down at his own hand in surprise. “Well, look at that.”

  She slipped out of his grip, slowly stood up, and bent to find her skirt. Finding her top was a little tricky, but her slippers were still on, so she was able to get dressed... mostly. She couldn’t find the household icon.

  She went on her hands and knees, looking under the bed.

  “Dorra?”

  “Mhmm.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Looking for the icon so my skirt doesn’t come off.” She looked up, and he was draped over the edge of the bed with a warm smile on his face.

  He raised his hand, and the icon was in his palm. “It was at the head of the bed.”

  She went up on her knees and reached for it. He closed his hand. “What will you offer in trade?”

  “For something that keeps me from being naked?” She twisted her lips. “A hand massage?”

  “No.”

  “Back rub?”

  “No.”

  She cocked her head. “A kiss?”

  “Exceedingly tempting, but I believe that agreeing to a game of P’cha would suffice.”

  She paused. “A game?”

  “For stakes, of course.”

  “Stakes? Like what?”

  “I ask you for what I want; you ask me for whatever you want. Then, you tell me what you are willing to give up, I tell you what I am willing to give, and we negotiate. Then, we play.”

  “Fine. I will play with you.”

  To her surprise, he gave up the icon right away. “I thought I would have to wait until we played.”

  “No, I am about to get dressed and take you to our local clinic to get your damage healed.”

  “What? Why? Is it that bad?”

  “It is a reminder of pain and violence. I would rather that our companionship begin in a little less of a traumatic scenario.”

  She leaned back and put the pin in place, breathing a little easier. Public nudity wasn’t something that was on her list of fun pastimes.

  She got to her feet, and he rose to his knees on the bed, pulling her toward him and kissing
her. When the knee-weakening three minutes passed, he murmured, “Now you can take off the makeup.”

  She stepped away and went in search of the lav.

  “Second door on the right,” he called out behind her.

  She had to admit that the Hellaz made good makeup. There was some light smudging around her eyes, but her lips were nearly intact. It was pretty impressive. She opened and closed shelves, found oil with the right compound, and stripped off the makeup and lipstick. Once the pigments were gone, she washed her striped face and pressed a cooling cloth between her thighs. She knew that given the possibilities, today had been an easy day, but it also wasn’t even dinner time.

  She finished doing everything she could think of, cooled herself off again, and opened the door. He was waiting in the hall. “I thought you had gotten lost.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “It took a bit to find something to get the makeup off, and I don’t want to know what you use that oil for, but it worked.”

  He grinned. “Oh, but I want to tell you.”

  He was very good at teasing her.

  Hreon left her with Hrothan while he went to call the clinic. Hrothan grinned when they came in until he saw her face. “What the fuck?”

  Dorra flapped her hand at him. “This is residue from the incident on the station. The medic on the ship mentioned that it would take a while for me to heal completely. Or, I could spend two hours in a repair unit, and that would keep the discolouration from coming out on the damaged areas like my inner thighs.”

  “Where is Hreon?”

  “Calling the clinic so I can just do my time and get this over with.” She sat at the table and folded her hands together.

  “Your hair has held up remarkably well.”

  She stiffened and looked at him with what she knew was a wounded expression. “It seems you can get out of bed just fine when you want to.”

  He shrugged. “I have never heard that particular sound. Hellaz women don’t make that sort of noise.”

  Her cheeks were on fire. “Good to know.”

  He frowned and looked skyward. “Come to think of it, I don’t remember them making any noise.”

  Hreon came in and said, “Perhaps you were doing something wrong, Grandfather, or definitely not doing anything right.”

  Dorra looked at him. “So?”

  He held his hand out to her. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  She got up, her knees wobbled, but she steadied herself as she made a face at Hrothan on the way out.

  She heard his chuckle, they walked back to the stairs, and they paused for him to speak to the housekeeper. She nodded and gave Dorra a startled look before curtsying to her. “Welcome to the overseer’s household, my lady.”

  Dorra nodded. “Thank you for the welcome. I am still learning your foods, so if things could be kept really simple when meals are prepared, that would be ideal.”

  “Sir?” the housekeeper looked confused.

  “Prepare meals that would be suitable for a child entering school. She has been living on rations since she left her world. The fresh fruits and vegetables of Hellaz are completely foreign to her. Take that into account. For the first few weeks, keep the food as separate as possible, please.” He nodded. “We will be interested in dinner in three hours.”

  The housekeeper curtsied again, and Hreon took Dorra’s hand and led her out of the residence once again.

  Chapter Eight

  “It feels like it should be later.” She had her hand curled around the inside of his elbow, and she was close to him while they passed the respectful travellers.

  “Why?”

  “Um... just because.” She blushed.

  He smiled.

  She was getting some stares, but it was more the latticework of claw marks on her features than her alien status.

  “So, what kind of colour does your skin turn when you are clawed up?”

  “Do you have something planned?” He was curious.

  “Um... no. I didn’t mean... I will just shut up now.” She grumbled.

  “I am teasing.”

  “I know. You are good at it.”

  He smiled; the corners of his eyes were crinkling. “Thank you. My grandfather always said that I didn’t get the sense of humour in the family. Apparently, it travels in the Hmrain energy.”

  “Okay, so how is it even possible that I can do that thing that you need?”

  He shrugged. “We don’t know how some species produce beings that we can feed from. I just know that I haven’t felt this energized in my life. Thank you for that.”

  She muttered, “You did most of the work.”

  He laughed, and several of the locals turned toward him as they continued their walk.

  When they arrived at the clinic, the doors opened for them, and the receptionist jumped to her feet to lead them into the treatment room.

  The attendant looked at her, his eyes widened, and he nodded. “Right. We can take care of that. Can you tolerate a scan?”

  “Sure. Can you set your unit for class fours?”

  “Oh. Of course.” He smiled. “How many scans did you have before you learned that?”

  “Two.” She sighed. “By the third one, I knew what to ask for.”

  He nodded and set the machine. “Okay, remove the icon, and I think I can do the rest of the scan quickly. After that, we will calibrate the tissue stimulator, and you can just take a nap and wake up with the damage repaired.”

  She exhaled. “What about the rest of the venom in my system?”

  She saw Hreon tense.

  “The scan should tell us what is going on.” He reached for the icon, but there was a low noise from Hreon. “Uh, Overseer?”

  Dorra smiled. “I’ve got it.” She removed the clip and reached for Hreon’s hand, putting it in his palm. “Can you hang onto that for me?”

  He closed his hand over it. He narrowed his eyes. “Are you handling me?”

  “Yes. Until you get used to me, I am the toy that you don’t want to share. It’s fine. I get it. I will keep it in mind when we are around other people.” She settled in the scanner and waited for the bands of light to go over her from head to toe.

  “Right. I am going to commence the scan now.”

  With the humming of the machine as the bands looked through her with low-level radiation, she tried to remain as still as possible.

  When the machine went silent, she looked up. “Is it done?”

  “It is. Does your species have different sizes of lungs?” He was staring at the result on his screen.

  “Oh. No. That was an effect of a stabbing during the fall of society in my city. There was some infection, and I was treated by the education station, but they were frank that they weren’t going to spend any resources on a low-level servant class like me. So, I lost part of my left lung due to necrotic tissue, and that was it.”

  Hreon frowned. “You don’t have a scar.”

  “They remove physical blemishes and outward signs of damage to increase our bond price.” Dorra sighed as she got out of the scanner.

  “I am not equipped to deal with that today, but if you can make another appointment, we can increase your lung capacity.”

  She blinked and looked at Hreon. “I am fine with it as is. I have managed to increase my capacity to the point where I can function normally.”

  “Well, your body is dealing with the Aksall venom, so you will be feeling better in a few days. Now, on to the repair unit.”

  She stepped away from the scanner, and Hreon frowned.

  “You were stabbed?”

  “Yeah, right under the arm. It punctured my lung. Food riots. My area was losing a lot of population due to starvation, and people went insane. Six hours after I was struck, the shuttle arrived. Some new friends dragged me to the shuttle, put me through decontamination, and then, the medics took over.”

  The constellations in his eyes were moving quickly.


  The attendant stood next to the machine, and he said, “For this one, you will need to disrobe. We don’t want the fabric grafting to any part of you.”

  She nodded and untied the back of her top before releasing the necklace that held her top in place. She draped the fabric over one arm before loosening the skirt and kicking off her shoes. She pulled the skirt off, and the attendant looked at her curiously.

  Hreon made that noise again, so she tossed her clothing at him. “I am not attractive to most Hellaz. So, stow it.”

  The attendant looked surprised. “What do you mean? You are well within our parameters for attraction.”

  She frowned. “When I was on the ship... they said that only half-breed Hellaz would react to me.”

  “Ah, they are the only ones that would react to your pheromones. Your body is lovely.”

  The low sound came again.

  She held out her hand to Hreon, and when he gripped it, she pulled him toward her. She kissed him slowly, and then, she whispered, “Stop being grumpy. He’s a medic. He sees better-looking women than me all day long. And that kiss wasn’t for you; it was for me. I hate these things.”

  He frowned. “I will remain with you.”

  She smiled. “Sweet. I might need help walking after this.”

  The attendant cleared his throat. “The unit is set up; we can begin.”

  Hreon kissed her softly. “It will be fine.”

  She nodded and settled in the unit, putting on the breathing unit and laying back to let the gel swell up and over her. When it covered her face, she pressed her hands to the interior of the unit and fought the urge to pound on the lid for an escape.

  She closed her eyes and breathed as evenly as she could while the unit bonded the gel to her tissue in place of the damaged areas.

  She closed her eyes and played her favourite songs. She couldn’t remember half the words, but she just played the songs over and over again.

  When the light streamed over her, she blinked and sat up. She took the breather out of her mouth and wiped the gel out of her eyes. Hreon was there to help her out, and he ran a towel over her in silence.