Colonial Prime (7 page)

'
Is it good?'
LarIS asked her.  Even his voice sounded thicker telepathically. 

'
It is.  But you are not eating.  Let me take the sandwich from you.'
  She reached for his hand but he pulled it away from her.

'
I enjoy feeding you.  It gives me pleasure
.' 
In more ways than one
, he thought.  Every bite she took made him ache for her even more.  He needed to be alone with her. 

'
Do you want any stew?'
he asked her.

'
No.  I am full.  I probably gained two pounds already today.'
  She laughed.  Her laughter was like an aphrodisiac. 

'
You have not.  You have a perfect form.'
  He glanced her up and down several times, lingering on the swell of her breasts.  '
But if you would like…we could take a quick walk through some of the trails for exercise?'

She looked up at him with doubt.  Had he read her mind earlier about wanting to explore
the area?  She didn’t feel him in her head and usually she could.  She wanted to walk the trails so badly, but could she be alone with him?

Sensing her hesitation,
'We could bring Lizzie with us if you would feel more comfortable?'

She looked over at her
friend who was busy arguing with AshOR.  Lizzie hated exercise.  She shook her head.  '
I would like to take a walk.  I don’t need Lizzie to come with me. But won’t you be missed?'

'
My people know how to relax and take breaks in between hard work.  Most of the males will take a nap before coming back to work and finishing up the roofs.  I have the time.'

'
Like a siesta?'
she asked, allowing him to help her stand.

'
What is this s…e…s…t…a?
'  He turned his head to the side to look at her.

'
Siesta. It’s like a break of sorts except for longer time frames. There are some cultures on Earth that will work hard for hours, then take a two or three hour break to relax or nap.  Then they return for a few more hours of work.'

'
Yes, we will take a siesta then.'
  He helped her stand then led her further away from the group.  There was a path visible that they went toward.

'
You seem to know your way around here very well, how long have you been coming here?'
  She ducked under some branches that he moved out of her way.

'
Since I was a child.  My abilities were almost unbearable to tolerate when around others.  It took many years for me to learn to block others thoughts.  There were times I thought I would go insane.'

She reached out to take his hand in hers. 
'
I'm so sorry.  That must have been horrific for a child to endure.'

'
It was, but my mother and father did everything they could for me.  My father shared the same mutation.  My mother and I would come up here to the village for months at a time to give me a break from being constantly bombarded.  My father would come here some to teach me how to build up walls in my mind.  I loved it when we were all here together as a family.'

'
Are you parents still living?'

He shook his head sadly. 
'
No, my mother died from breeding problems with my unborn sister.  My father was so devastated, he gave up the will to live.  They were true bond mates.'

Lola pulled on his hand making him stop and turn to look at her.  He expected her to say something.  But he wasn
’t prepared for what she did next.  She moved forward and gave him a light hug.  He was shocked and didn’t respond immediately.

'
I am so sorry for your loss.'
She squeezed his waist one more time before releasing him.

He wanted to pull her back in his arms.  So many nights he
had dreamed of holding her.  The contact was too brief.  He needed more.  He craved more.  But he reluctantly let her withdraw from him.

He took her hand again. 
'
Come, I want to show you a place that I loved as a kid.  It is my favorite spot on the whole Colonial Planet.'

She followed him through more trees and bushes.  The
y hit a clearing and a whole different world presented itself to her.  Now she could see clearly that they were on the side of a mountain because below were valleys and canyons that rivaled the Grand Canyon of Earth.  She gasped and rushed forward.

'
Easy.  I do not wish for you to fall.  There are several ledges below us but it would hurt and you could break something.'
He gently pulled her away from the edge and helped her to sit down on the soft grass.  He sat beside her content to just be with her.  It calmed him for some reason.  He pointed to some birdlike creatures flying above them.

'
Do you like it?'
he asked, watching all the emotions playing across her majestic face.

She turned
her dark eyes on him and gave him the biggest smile.  It lit up his whole world.  He would do anything to keep that smile on her face and to have her look at him this way for always.

'
I love it, LarIS.  I have never seen anything so beautiful in my whole life.'
  She gazed out over the canyons.

'
I have,'
he said with a deep voice in her head.

She turned to look at him curiously.  It happened slowly.  He moved down toward her head and gently took her soft plump lips with his. 

She had time to move away or to refuse.  But she didn’t do either of those things.  She didn’t want to pull away from him.  For the first time since the Morins took her, she wanted to kiss a man—this man.

He was gentle at first, pressing his warm and firm mouth against her.
His tongue licked the seam of her lips and she automatically opened up for him.  His tongue eased his way in and made contact with her waiting tongue.  As soon as their tongues met, Lola felt a fire spread from her core outward. 
Oh God, she was going to orgasm just from a kiss—their first kiss.
 

The man could kiss.  For a mutated alien he was amazing.  She tilted her head to the side so he could get to her more easi
ly.  She raised her hand and cupped his cheek.  She slowly let go of her reservations and began kissing him back full force.  She knew it was trouble when he growled with need and pleasure.  She couldn’t make herself stop or pull away.  He tasted too good—to right.

LarIS was living his fantasy.  So many nights he dreamed of this, of kissing her
and having her kiss him back.  He slowly lowered them down to the ground and scooted his body up against hers.  He had to take it slow with her, not wanting to scare her.

His hands moved over her body hovering.
He didn’t initiate further contact.  But she craved it.  She reached up and grabbed one of his large hands and brought it to her mouth.  She kissed his palm and then touched her tongue in the center.  She licked upward and then sucked a finger into her mouth.

LarIS growled with need.  He almost rel
eased in his pants.  Never had a female…suckled him like this. 
Oh Goddess
, he begged for her to help him keep it together.  He couldn’t help but speak her name out loud as he nibbled her earlobe.  “Lola.”

She shivered.  With him right against her ear
she could hear his voice calling her.  It was deep and sexy.  Everything a voice should be.  She released his fingers and moved her mouth to reclaim his lips again.

She allowed his hand to move down her neck.  Further down.  She moaned out loud when he finally
took one of her breasts in his hands and squeezed.

'
LarIS,'
she whispered his name mind-to-mind.

'
My beautiful Lola,'
he whispered back.  She felt amazing.  He never wanted to let her go.  He was desperate to have her.  He took her lips in a more demanding kiss and moved to climb over her.  His knees moved between her legs, spreading her open to him.  He had to have her.  She was everything to him. 

It was great and wonderful at first.  She loved the way he touched her and looked at her.  But then the mom
ent his weight covered her, panic set in.  She tried to push him off and away but he was too caught up in the moment.

She had a flashback of being held down on the Morin ship. 
"No!  No!" she started to kick and scream.  Except the sound was strange.  She beat on his back. 

LarIS was stunned.  Not that she was hurting him, but that she was reacting like this.  She wasn
’t a violent person.  He pushed away from her and looked down in concern.

'
What is it? What is wrong?  Did I hurt you?'
LarIS tried to touch her face but she jerked away.

'
Don’t touch!'
She was hyperventilating.  She couldn’t breathe.  She had to get out of here.  The Morins might find her again.  She didn’t pay attention as she shot up and tried to take off.

LarIS was in her mind and kne
w before she moved too close to the edge.  She was in panic mode and was not thinking clearly.  He grabbed her from behind and held her tight against his chest as he moved backwards away from the dangerous area.

'
Easy, Lola.  It’s just me…LarIS.  I have you now.  You are safe.  I will not let anyone hurt you ever again.  Breathe with me.  In and out. In and out.  That’s right.  Keep doing that.'
He used his mental link to try to soothe her but she was still struggling.  Finally, she breathed with him and started to calm down.

Lola stopped trying to escape.  As her breathing became more steady she was able to relax in his arms.  She then realized what she had done and started to cry.  Would she never have a normal life again?

'Shh…it’s okay.  You’re safe,'
LarIS crooned to her, picking her up into his arms and carrying her back over to the grassy spot.

‘
I am so sorry.  I panicked as soon as you were on top.  I am a complete mess.’
Lola covered her face with her hands.

LarIS gently removed her hands and wipe
d her tears with his big rough warm hands.  '
You are not a mess.  You are an amazing female who has survived captivity and torture.  I shouldn't have pressed you so soon.'

'
I wanted that.  I wanted you.  I just don’t know if I’ll ever be able to give you what you need.'
Lola’s dark eyes looked at him with sadness.

'
I want you too, more than anything else in this world or the next.  We are in no hurry.  We will take our time.'

Lola pouted. 
'
I don’t want to wait.  I ache for you.'

Her confession lifted some
of the heaviness he felt around his heart.  '
I ache for you, sweetness.  We will work this out in time.'

'
Okay.  I’ll do whatever it takes.  Because…I want this—I want you.

Commander TylOR look
ed at the communication screen.  Prime Commander KydEL stood there glaring back at him.  They both had a staring contest. 

“
We need to investigate the report,” TylOR insisted. 

“
We sent several ships out but they found nothing so far,” Kyd told him.

“
They are there, I can feel it.  We need to be more proactive.”

“
Yes, my mate, Jaxon, calls it offensive.  She says we need to seek them out instead of waiting around for them to attack again.”

TylOR nodded his head.  He didn
’t like the Katieran Commander.  It may have something to do with them wanting the same female at one time.  But the other male was a good commander.  “I’ll speak with Prime Leader KadEN and also with Leader LarIS.”

“
Set up a conference call when the Leader returns.”

“
I will.”  TylOR ended communications.  The idea the Morins were circling around one of the three nations preparing to strike again made him feel uncomfortable.  He didn’t want to have to wait around.  The three leaders needed to make a decision.

*****

The rest of the time with the villagers went by fast.  Lola refused to respond to LarIS’s attempts to speak with her mind-to-mind.  He watched as she threw herself into helping the disabled villagers.  He tried to apologize but she still said nothing to him.  He prayed to the Goddess KatieRI that he had not messed things up with her.  He should have been more careful.  He hadn’t even bothered to link with her to see if she was okay.  If he had…things might have been different. 
Kitana!

The shuttle ride back to the Colonial city was al
so quiet and awkward.  He knew that Lizzie tried to speak with Lola using the silent language, but he didn’t try to observe their conversation.  With his best efforts he remained sitting forward in the co-pilot’s seat.  But he longed to know what they talked about.

“
Are you okay?  You’ve been distant and distracted since after lunch,” Lizzie asked Lola.

“
I can’t talk about it right now.”  Lola glanced quickly at LarIS to see if he was looking her way.  He didn’t.  She felt disappointed.  She may have messed things up with them for good.  A tear threatened to fall.  She closed her eyes hoping to hold back the sobbing that she so wanted to let go.

Lizzie touched her shoulder gently.  She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at her friend
’s concerned face.

“
I am here for you always.”

“
Thanks, Lizzie.  I am not ready to talk about it yet.”

“
Should we make an appointment with Dr. Garrett first thing when we get back?”

She paused for a minute.  “
Yes.”

Lizz
ie nodded her hand and turned to look at the viewing screen.  Lola closed her eyes again and laid her head back against the seat.  She just wanted to forget everything for a while.  Just a little while.

*****

The next day LarIS walked into his meeting room.  Commander TylOR and AshOR were waiting for him.  “Good morning,” he greeted them.

TylOR nodded his greeting
, “Morning, sir.”

LarIS sat down at the table.  “
Thank you for meeting with me so early.”

“
Is this about the Morins?” AshOR asked.  His normal relaxed expression turned serious.

“
Partly.  We will discuss the Morins in a few minutes.  The first part of this meeting is about you, AshOR?”

“
Me?” he questioned in surprise.

“
Yes.  I spoke with the Colonial High Council.  It is agreed that if Commander TylOR thinks you are ready, then you can be released from the punishment and may return to the Colony again.”

His eyes lit up.  “
Will I get my old position back?”

“
No.  The council feels that you should not be a co-leader again because you took advantage of your position and endangered a breeding female.”

“
I understand.”  Some of AshOR’s excitement died.

“
So, I recommended that you become a commander instead.”

AshOR looked up at him.  “
I accept.”

LarIS raised his hand.  “
But this is only if Commander TylOR feels that you are ready to be released from his command.”  Both males turned their head to look at TylOR.

TylOR looked at his younger brother.  The male had irritated him from day one.  But he was a fine warrior and would make a great commander one day.  But is this the day?

“He is ready,” TylOR said.

“
Commander AshOR, welcome back to the Colony.”

“
Thank you, Leader LarIS.”  AshOR paused before he spoke again, “Thank you, Commander TylOR.”  That sure hurt to say.

“
Now that that is settled, let’s talk about the Morins.”

*****

Dr. Garrett looked between the two women before her.  They had requested an immediate session with her as soon as they came back from visiting the mountain villagers.  But then they have said nothing for almost ten minutes.

“
Did you want us to postpone this for a later date?” Dr. Garrett signed.  She was getting better with it.  Soon Lizzie would not be needed to interpret for them.

Lizzie was the one that spoke first
, “Lola has been acting very reserved ever since the village.”

“
Did something happen there that upset you?” Dr. Garrett asked.

Lola looked down at her hands as she signed her response
, “We kissed.”

Lizzie looked at her in shock.  “
You and Leader LarIS?”

Lola nodded.

“Was that unpleasant for you?” Dr. Garrett asked, motioning gently for Lizzie to remain quiet.

“
No, I liked the kissing quite a bit.  He’s a really great kisser.”

“
Was there more than kissing?”

Lola nodded her head.  Then she signed
, “That’s when the problems started.”

“
Describe what happened from the moment you first kissed to the moment when things went bad.”

“
We started kissing.  Everything was fantastic.  I didn’t want it to stop.  I wanted to feel him touching me but he wouldn’t initiate it.  So I took his hand and put it on me.  That intensified things a great deal.  We were both lost in kissing and touching.”

“
So when did it go wrong?” Dr. Garrett prompted her.

“
When he moved to get on top of me.  His weight and him moving my legs apart…I started to remember things the Morins had done.  It was like I was living the past and present at the same time.  I couldn’t breathe.  I started to panic and kicked and hit him, screaming at him.”  She looked out the window completely embarrassed that she reacted that way.

Dr. Garrett had to wait patiently for Lola to finally turn back and look at her.  “
It is understandable to be fearful after you experienced the torture that you did.  Maybe you are being too hard on yourself.”

“
I wanted him.  I still want him.  But I don’t know if I can be with him that way.”

“
Perhaps we can invite him to a couple’s session, to help work on your intimacy issues.”

“
He probably wants nothing to do with me.”

“
That’s bull poopy right there,” Lizzie finally spoke.

Both women turned to her and laughed.  Lizzie had a special way with words.  She was a linguist but her southern roots showed through.

“Could you elaborate on the bull poopy?” Dr. Garrett asked, straining to keep a straight face.

Lizzie spoke directly to Lola.  “
That man is in love with you.  There isn’t another woman on this planet or the next he’d look at like he does you. Ya’ll just need to work this out is all.”

Dr. Garrett cleared her throat.  “
Would you feel more comfortable if I asked him to come for you?”

Lola shook her head.  “
I’ll ask him.”

“
Very well.  Let me know if tomorrow morning after the Morning Meal is a good time for both of you.”

Lola and Lizzie left heading back to their suite.  Lola stopped Lizzie in the hallway. 

“Do you really think he’ll come to therapy with me?  I didn’t leave on good terms with him yesterday.”

“
Yeah, he will.  Just give him a chance, ‘kay.”

“
Okay.”

*****

“What do you propose?” Commander TylOR asked.

“
We need to have transports and warships from all three nations join forces and actively seek out the Morins.  Let us hunt them,” LarIS told him.  Maybe he was bitter over what the Morins did to his people, and maybe even more so over what they did to Lola.

“
I cannot speak for Prime Leader RendEL or KydEL.”

“
We will have to meet with them.  Is Prime Leader KadEN planning to attend the mating ceremony on Katiera?”

“
Yes, despite protests by several council members.  He insists he wants to show there are no bad feelings that AriELa and he didn't mate,” TylOR explained with frustration.  He would prefer that KadEN remained safely on Kiljorn.  But you cannot explain that to the stubborn male.

“
Then it looks like I will be attending as well,” LarIS said.

“
What?  You cannot do that!” AshOR protested.

“
I have to get our nations united in this effort.  Otherwise, we are all sitting ducks.  AshOR, I need you to double security around the perimeter of the Colonial Planet.”

AshOR was not happy but he knew his duty.  “
Yes, Leader, I will do that immediately.”

“
This meeting is adjourned then.”

*****

Lola was nervous as hell as she slowly approached LarIS in the hallway.  He must have had a meeting with the other men.  They looked her way and nodded.  Then they moved away.  LarIS turned toward her and she felt the world shift beneath her feet.  He made her feel lightheaded.

“
Lola?  Are you okay?” he asked, using the silent language.

“
I am fine,” she signed back.  “Could I speak with you privately?”

“
Of course, let’s step outside in the garden.”  He led her to the beautiful garden with the strange colored flowers.  She came here often to read or write.  The sweet scents always calmed her.  He took her to a stone bench and motioned for her to sit.  Then he sat down next to her but had some distance between them.  She didn’t want that, the distance. 

“
Is there something you needed?” he asked signing.

You…
I need you.  She was careful not to broadcast that to him.  “I…was wondering if you would come with me tomorrow morning to speak with Dr. Garrett.”

He looked at her with concern.  “
Are you okay?”

She looked down at the space between them.  How did you bridge a gap like this?  Signing it was too
—impersonal.  She chose to speak through their link.

'
I told her how I panicked…at the village with you.  I have intimacy issues and she thought if you were there, we could work on them together.'
  She waited for him to respond.  But he simply stared at her.

'
You want me to come to talk about what happened?'
  He wasn’t sure what this would be about but he would do whatever it took to help her.

'
Yes and…more.  But you don’t have to come if you do not—' 
She never finished talking because LarIS placed a finger over her lips though they were not moving.  But it effectively stopped her from talking in his head.

'
I would be honored to go to this therapy with you.  There is not much I would not do for you, Lola.'

'
LarIS,'
she whispered his name in his mind with such longing.  She reached out a hand and gently touched his cheek with trembling fingers.  The gap separating them seemed a little smaller.

*****

“Lieutenant, why has the security around the Colonial Planet doubled?” the Morin Leader asked.

“
Sir, all the security as doubled.  Around Kiljor and Katiera as well.  It seems as if they are preparing for something.”

“
I want to know what that is.  Monitor their transmissions more closely.”

“
We will try but their transmissions are masked or blocked from us.”

“
I want the answers.”