Command Control Read online

“Keep your attitude for yourself. I am not here to play dress-up.”

  Alfon disinterestedly picked up a few choices and some basic swimwear.

  She muttered to Argo, “Where are the guys waiting?”

  “Huron and Heron are going to meet us at my craft.”

  Alfon smiled dreamily. “What are you two doing with Huron?”

  Argo grinned. “She’s his queen, and he is waiting.”

  The clothing he had grabbed was dropped, and he headed to some other racks. She was pushed into a changing area, and Alfon started to remove her suit.

  She growled. “I can get it off. You just prep the new stuff, and I will get naked.”

  Argo went to a switch on the wall, and he pressed it. It was the same UV mix as natural sunlight. “There you are.”

  She looked down, and the stripes on her skin were blazingly visible. She put on the first of the dresses with Alfon’s help, and he frowned. “This would really be better if your hair were down.”

  She looked at him. “Do you sell hairbrushes or combs?”

  “No, but the shop two doors down does. Argo, can you grab a grooming kit?”

  She made a face and unclipped her hair, letting it swing down and to just above her hips. There was a crunching sound, and she saw Argo trying to straighten the metal clothing rack he had just crushed.

  Alfon smiled slowly. “Oh, much better. Now I can see it.”

  She wrinkled her nose and had to hold in her sarcasm as she was stuffed in and out of three dresses, two sets of swimwear, and a half-dozen wraps that were chosen to match her eyes. She was wearing a sundress and sandals, her hair was down with the sides caught up in two combs that Argo carefully placed there, and she now had gone from a light bag to moderate luggage.

  Argo seemed really pleased with himself, and Alfon had gotten on the com to someone the moment that they left. She monitored his communication, and she muttered, “Your brother called the media.”

  He smiled. “Of course, he did.”

  She scowled. “Why would he?”

  “You will see.”

  They walked to the launch, and Huron and Heron were waiting. Media drones approached and kept to the hundred metre limit, but Maya knew that they were recording everything.

  Huron held his hand out to help her on board, and when she put her hand in his, he kissed it. To her surprise, Argo helped her up, but he kissed her palm before releasing her and casting off.

  What the hell just happened?

  She kept her mind doing her job, but when Huron wrapped her in his arms and kissed her, she went blank for a second. That hadn’t happened before.

  When he raised his head, he smiled. “You look wonderful. I had no idea that you had such hair.”

  “Why is it such a surprise? Argo was shocked.” She smiled up at him.

  “He gave you those combs?” He looked at the bright objects on her head.

  “I have no idea. He just stuck them in there without a word.”

  Huron smiled. “I am very glad that we had sex when we did.”

  She looked around, and Heron was up at the controls with Argo. “Um, why exactly is that important?”

  “His people have the same hierarchy as mine do. They just have some rituals underwater that are for them and their kind alone.”

  Maya frowned. “You are not saying that he is interested in me.”

  “I am. Why are you surprised? You are a powerful female. A breeding queen for the Relita.” He leaned in. “You are already a guardian, so why not join us at the base?”

  “Not my decision. And when did you know?”

  He smiled. “When we were discussing Heron’s cries. There are only two females on this planet who can hear it, and one of them is my mother. As he was given to me, she does not concern herself with him. But, it is his emergency cry, and it goes along with his telepathy. He will lose it in two years, but right now, he pointed to someone who could hear him on all levels and was able to contact me and send me to get him.”

  She winced. “Ah. Right.”

  “Your skills with the cycle reminded me of a security vid that we were forced to study from a few weeks ago. A member of support personnel was dead dropped on a pod-cycle and managed to land, gain control, and then scrambled communications while streaking across the plain to the base’s underground access.”

  “Imagine that. How peculiar.”

  He smiled and cupped her jaw with his hand, leaning forward for another slow kiss.

  She opened her mouth to taste him, and she tasted honey. He must have had it for breakfast. Shit. I haven’t had breakfast.

  He blinked and broke the kiss. “We shall have to get you fed. You don’t suffer from motion sickness?”

  She shook her head. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to broadcast into your mind.”

  He smiled. “I am yours. Your needs relay themselves to me. We are slowly beginning to share a connection.”

  Heron patted her on the leg and held up a small pastry. “Here you go, Maya.”

  She tried to ease out of Huron’s arms, but he held her, so she grabbed the pastry. “Heron, please, tell me that I didn’t call you, too.”

  Heron smiled. “No, Dad did.”

  She ate the pastry with Huron watching, and it was beyond strange. When she was finished, she licked her lips and was going to nibble the crumbs from her fingers when he gripped her hand and licked the flecks away.

  “I am getting the idea that the whole queen and the males who serve her is a little fancy for saying that I am going to be under guard and watched for the rest of my life.”

  He smiled slowly. “I think you are definitely grasping the situation.”

  Heron brought her a cup of juice. “Here you go, Maya.”

  She took the cup and sipped it. “Thank you, Heron.”

  He grinned and scampered back to the bow.

  Huron leaned down and whispered, “How long was I seeping out of you last night? I could smell us on you for hours, so could everyone nearby.”

  She shuddered, and her body underwent a wave of arousal that she could track. She knew the moment it hit her knees and the heat when it wrapped her toes.

  She gasped, and he looked at her. There was a smug smile on his lips. “I wondered if that tone worked on you. It is delightful to know that it does.”

  He stepped around a bulkhead and hid them from view. He gathered her skirt with one hand until he slid his fingers against her slick folds. He watched her face, and she swallowed as her breathing picked up with the slide of his fingers.

  He slid two and then three fingers into her, and they pumped into her hard as she clung to him and tried to not make a sound.

  She raised her knee to the outside of his thigh, and he tapped her clit as his fingers continued to pound into her.

  Bright fire ripped through her, and she looked at him with her eyes wide as the roar of pain and pleasure swept through her.

  She collapsed against him, and he slowly withdrew his fingers. She could hear him sucking on his digits.

  Her skirt slid back into place, and she tried to stand straight, but her knees were weak.

  He whispered to her again, “When you go swimming with Argo, I want you to keep this moment in mind.”

  She looked at him in a daze. “Dude, you have issues.”

  He grinned. “We all do; the key is to acknowledge them.”

  As he spoke, she split her focus and helped the guardians on Virtal to get through a rockslide to the people trapped under it in an air pocket.

  She walked to the side of the vessel and watched the water foam and dash. She needed a minute to slow her pulse.

  Maya looked at her hand in the sunlight, and the striped pattern seemed to be more pronounced than before. When she was ready to talk to others, she walked past Huron and headed for the bow of the vessel. There were large animals racing them, and she crouched to get close to them.

  Heron sat next to her. �
��Dad says we aren’t supposed to get too close if Argo isn’t with us. We look like food to them. Argo doesn’t. Maya, are you sad?”

  She shook her head. “No, I am just thinking.”

  “Oh. That thing that you do in the back of your head?”

  She chuckled. “No, the part that I do at the front of my head. Your dad is very confusing.”

  “Yeah. He says I can’t have sweets, but then, if he is working late, we have dessert no matter what time it is.”

  She chuckled. “Like that.”

  “It’s okay. He always makes sure that I brush my teeth. That stays the same.” Heron leaned on her.

  They watched the creatures, and she monitored her stations. It was a peaceful hour.

  Chapter Nine

  Maya changed into her swimsuit with all the skill of someone who had changed in unisex locker rooms. When she pulled her dress up and over her head, she was wearing the thin layer of fabric that satisfied modesty.

  The band on her breasts had a strap that went from the left breast to behind the right shoulder. The thin hip wrap had a band between her thighs, but she was only conventionally dressed. She had no idea what would happen when she got the fabric wet.

  Huron and Heron were wearing matching suits, bright blue. With Huron’s body on display, she didn’t know where to look.

  Argo stretched and beckoned to her. “You won’t be able to swim if you don’t leave the vessel.”

  “I am not really that confident with open-water swimming.”

  Huron smiled. “We are. Argo won’t let you get swept away.”

  Argo grinned. “If I did, I would get smashed very shortly after.”

  Heron crossed his arms. “And I wouldn’t call you Uncle anymore.”

  Argo nodded. “I will take care of her. I promise.”

  Huron and Heron jumped in. Maya stepped forward carefully, and when Argo held out his hand, she took it.

  “Why does Huron think I am going for a swim with you?”

  Argo paused. “He said that?”

  “Yeah.”

  The other two were swimming a few feet away from the vessel, and Argo led her to the edge. He gave her hand a squeeze, and they jumped in together. The water closed over her head, and she tried to surface, but Argo was holding her hand and pulling her down.

  He pulled her against him and kissed her. Air pushed into her mouth, and he looked at her. She exhaled, and he did it again. This time, she inhaled. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist, propelling them through the water, stopping to help her breathe, and then swimming again. He paused outside a ridge of rock and gave her air. When she had a full breath, he dove deeper and pulled her to a cavern that opened into a lichen-lined cave.

  She gasped and looked around. She couldn’t see him. She rolled to her back and kicked cautiously. She headed toward the ledge that elevated above the water, and she was almost there when she felt a hand around her ankle. She stopped in the water and was pulled toward him.

  She had forgotten about his hair, and when he pulled the bit of fabric between her thighs to one side, she gasped. His mouth was the next feeling, and the intense heat against the cool of the water was more than she had been prepared for. She moaned, and the cave and water echoed her voice. Huron had told her to remember, and she guessed that this was the moment he had been referring to. She thought about the feeling of his fingers inside her, and that wave of heat moved through her. Her hands started to flail around for something to hold onto, but there was only water.

  Just as she was starting to rock, the hair wrapped around her wrists and gave her something to brace against as her hips moved toward him. She moaned as she came, her body responding to the hot lash of his tongue.

  He pulled her under and kissed her; she tasted herself on his tongue, but when he pressed his cock against her, she gasped, and he gave her the air that she needed. He slid into her, and he had to have been providing his own lube the same way Huron did because she took him easily, felt incredibly full, and wrapped her legs around him as he started moving.

  They tumbled around in the pool, his gills filtering air for her and her body taking the pounding that he was giving her and demanding more. She wasn’t sure what was happening to her, but the Relitan genes were thirsty as hell. No matter what he gave her, she wanted more.

  She started shuddering and bucking against him as her body hit its threshold. He broke their kiss as he gritted his teeth and held his hips against hers. She felt another one of those twinges, but by the time she had registered it, he was feeding her air again.

  He lifted her to the surface and set her on the ledge, hoisting himself up next to her with annoying grace.

  She looked at him and said, “I thought I was a suit-chaser.”

  He smiled and ran his hand over her hip. “Congratulations, you caught two.”

  “I am not trying to catch anyone or anything.” She sighed.

  He ran his knuckles over her nipples. “That isn’t the way things are when you are a queen. You get pursued until you choose a court, and even then, your weaker lovers can be pushed aside by stronger ones.”

  She propped her head up on her arm. “I still don’t understand why you changed your mind about me.”

  He trailed a finger down her abdomen. “I learned about you being a guardian, which reduced your chances of seeking Huron out to simply screw him and leave, and then, I watched you with Heron. After that, I caught your scent underwater, and that turned things from play into serious. I have never been near a queen as intense as you.”

  She gasped as she understood what Huron had been doing. In his own weird way, he had made her irresistible to Argo.

  “So, why would Huron be in favour of this?” She waved her hand between them.

  He grinned. “We are teammates; we get along. We both love Heron, and there aren’t many others on Relita who can beat us in a fight, fair or otherwise. So, he does not have to worry about me. When you are ready to reproduce, we can even take turns carrying. That way, only one replacement for us will be needed at a time.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa...” She sat up. “They have got to stop making Relita biology classified because this is making no sense.”

  Argo frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, in my species, the woman gets pregnant, stays that way for forty weeks while the child develops, and then, she gives birth.”

  “That is remarkably inefficient.”

  She snorted. “Also, the chance to die in childbirth is not particularly attractive. Even in the modern age, it is still risky enough if there is a family history of fatality.”

  He looked at her in horror. “That is terrifying and a waste of a breeding queen.”

  “Uh. Right. So, I don’t know how it works here because it definitely seems different.”

  “Well, I will give you the teenager version. A couple has sex, and if their biology is compatible, he will release a semen pod.”

  She patted her belly. “That much I felt.”

  “The pod is about this big.” He held his fingers nearly together. “It can remain dormant for a decade, but when you release an egg, it will attempt to beat any other semen packs to it. That may be slightly uncomfortable for you, but it will encapsulate the egg, and the semen will fertilize it. The egg will then remain in the capsule as it grows, and you will expel it approximately two months later. Any remaining pods will be ready to catch the next egg. The expelled egg will be picked up by the father and inserted into a flap that we have here.”

  He put her hand on his abdomen, low and to the right of his navel. She actually felt a flat seam.

  She looked up at him, and he continued.

  “When we complete gestation in another six months, the flap opens, and the child emerges.”

  “Wow. That is both intriguing and terrifying. How many pods can a woman have waiting?”

  He gave her a narrow-eyed look. “Why?”

  “Blatan
t curiosity. I am really going to need some medical prints to figure out where these things ended up. If they are camping in my uterus, I am in a lot of trouble. So, how many pods does a guy release?”

  “Only one to the queen who accepts him.”

  She grimaced. “You and I skipped that part.”

  He smiled. “Conception via deception is a time-honoured method of gaining a queen’s favour. With my people, we secure her in a confined space and plead our case.”

  “Is that what happened?”

  “More or less. Having to breathe for you did hamper my moves.”

  She sighed. “Sorry.”

  Argo immediately apologized and pulled her into his lap. “I did not mean to offend you.”

  “It’s fine.” She squirmed. “So, when do we go back to the vessel? I don’t want Heron worrying.”

  Argo sighed and nuzzled her neck. “If you insist. I had hoped to have a few more moments with you.”

  She threaded her fingers into his hair and tugged his head back. “Quantify a moment.”

  He kissed her, and his tongue slid along hers. She squirmed around until she was facing him, her legs parted, her knees on the top of his thighs.

  Argo slid his fingers along the thin fabric between her thighs, and she shivered. Their kiss grew more intense, and she felt shockwaves start rippling through her system. Swirls of pleasure rippled through her. She felt every twist and current in her body.

  “What is that?”

  He smiled. “My brand of pleasure. Only the most talented can get a queen, and having a skill improves the odds to be chosen as a breeder more than once.”

  She gasped as the energy swirled down into her groin. “This is a skill? Do you take a class for this?”

  He brought his mouth close to hers and murmured, “Yes.”

  She was so surprised that when he kissed her, he took her shocked laugh and slid his fingers into her. She rocked her hips against his hand, and when he withdrew his fingers, she welcomed the slide of his cock. He plunged up, and she thrust down, moving in a slow but determined motion until he swirled his attentions through her breasts.

  Maya had always had sensitive breasts and now was no exception. She slid her hands between them and pinched her nipples, setting off the reaction that she had been working for. She screamed, and the sound echoed in the cave. She jerked, shivered, and went limp. She felt him cum, but her ears were still ringing from the sound of her own voice.