Page 30 of Master (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #3)

Tarook

I fought wakefulness, not wanting to leave the blissful dream where I held Clara in my arms. The soft snore fluttering the hair at the curve of my neck jerked me awake with the realization it hadn't been a dream at all.

Clara cuddled next to me, head nestled on my shoulder, arm slung across my chest, and a leg over my thighs.

Mine.

Whether or not the Valana blessed us, Clara was mine.

Never have I felt like this about a female.

I would never get enough of her. If I lived to the end of eternity, it wouldn't be long enough with her.

I'd spent the rest of the afternoon and all last night worshipping her body, memorizing what spots brought squeals of pleasure.

She was so responsive, so eager… so perfect.

And mine.

On impulse, my lips placed feather kisses on her skin from forehead to neck. Clara moaned softly, stirring, her mouth curving into a smile before her eyelids fluttered, revealing sparkling violet eyes.

Holy Valana, she was beautiful.

“What a nice way to wake up,” she crooned, linking her arms around my neck and lifting her mouth to mine.

"I can think of something nicer," I growled, rolling her onto her back while my mouth traveled to her large, soft breasts, and the pert nipples, perfect for suckling.

Her soft moans lingered like a caress in my ears.

My mouth traveled lower, watering for her taste, pausing only long enough to give due attention to her cute little belly button.

At the first touch of my tongue at her navel, Clara froze.

"What is it?" I'd traveled this same path many times the previous night. I knew she liked it.

Clara cupped my cheek in her palm, a wide grin splitting her beautiful face.

“Listen.”

My senses of sight, touch, hearing, and taste intently honed on Clara relaxed, and the patter of raindrops hit my ears.

Reluctantly—I'd like nothing better than to linger in bed with her all day—I rolled to my feet, moving to the nearest window.

Moisture saturated the ground outside, turning the remaining mumje into clumps resembling curdled milk.

From the look of the sky, the heaviest part of the downpour had passed, although the cloud cover remained gray.

"Oh my God," Clara breathed, standing at my side. "Does this mean we can finally go outside?"

I drew her curvy, naked form against me, wrapping my arms tight around her as I dropped my face to nuzzle her neck, inhaling her floral, musky scent.

"I hoped we would stay in bed all day." I ran the tip of my tongue up the side of her neck—gods, she tasted delicious.

“Tarook,” Clara giggled, wriggling at the ticklish forays of my mouth. Her hips ground against mine, and my cock jerked in appreciation. "I'd like that too, but...." her words ended with a heavy sigh.

I raised my head, pressing a kiss on her forehead. “Come on, let’s go check on everyone.”

Clara gathered her clothes from where they'd landed on the floor the night before and skipped toward the bathroom. Without her flooding my senses, I pressed my ear near the window, listening through the falling rain for any hint of what lay outside our sanctuary.

I heard nothing but the sounds of nature.

That could be good... could be bad. We wouldn't know until stepping outside.

Logic told me that if whoever deployed the mumje had returned, I would at least discern the sound of movement from affected villagers.

The only scampering I heard belonged to small animals—a few birds and rodents.

The faint sound of Clara singing—some song about a hound dog—wafted in from the bathroom.

A joyful sound that made my heart clench in gratitude.

.. along with a modicum of fear. Whoever deployed the mumje possessed no qualms about hurting humans.

Without knowing who they were and how much mumje they possessed, danger remained imminent.

As long as rain fell, it prevented another attack, but humans were fragile.

Drugging was only one way to cause injury.

I’d do anything to protect Clara.

Snatching my pants and vest from the floor, I dressed quickly, pulling on my boots as Clara exited the bathroom.

She'd pulled her thick blonde hair back into a braid, her face fresh-washed and violet eyes sparkling.

My chest warmed with something deep and soulful, an alien feeling, but one I hoped never to lose.

“What’s the plan?”

Clara strode to my side, hands resting at my waist as I bound my hair into the ususal bun at the nape of my neck.

I loved the easy way she touched me, as though something magnetic between us made touch as necessary as breathing.

I couldn't stop bending over and capturing her lips in a kiss.

Her soft moan turned into a mournful sign as I pulled away, but if I didn't stop kissing her, we'd never get out of here.

"Darlin’, listen to me," I said, pulling the comm bracelet from my wrist and affixing it to hers.

"I think it will be safe, but if anything goes wrong…

if I exhibit the slightest hint that the mumje affects me, I want you to seal yourself in the basement and stay here until the Bardaga arrives.

You should be able to pick them up on the comm when they enter Tau Ceti's orbit.

"The unit wasn't fixed, but I'd fiddled with it enough I felt sure we'd hear the Bardaga's orbiting beacon.

"No." Clara huffed, attempting to pull the comm from her wrist. "If you're not sure, we will both stay inside."

"We need to help the villagers," I captured her hands in mine. "You know we do."

“I know,” she admitted in a rush of breath. “But if anything happens to you...”

The face she turned up to me held concern, violet eyes shimmering with moisture. Clara worried about me... I shouldn't have enjoyed that minor revelation so much. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lifted her so our faces were even. The only answer I had for her was a kiss.

Clara moaned as my tongue slicked against hers, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. Holy Valana, I couldn't recall anything feeling as perfect as holding her. It's like there's a small part of myself that never quite felt filled, now overflowed.

“Ready?” I murmured, pressing a last kiss to the tip of her nose.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Clara huffed, playfully scowling as I sat her down and moved toward the door.

With the press of a button, the vacuum seal released with a whoosh, chains groaning as the metal panel lifted.

With a long last look at my female, I grabbed the doorknob, pulling the door open just enough to aid escape. The thud of the door closing behind me, separating me from Clara, caused a near physical pain.

The scents of burning grass and rubber remained thick and acrid. My eyes glazed in the hazy sunlight, catching minuscule particles suspended in the air. I realized too late that the rain wouldn't affect the mumje inside the house. Saying a prayer for Clara’s safety, I accepted my fate.

A long minute and one good deep cough later, what I perceived as mumje proved only to be dust particles.

Thank Valana!

I took the stairs three at a time, closing the upper basement door behind me before moving to survey the outside. A steady trickle of rain kept the surroundings gray and wet but clear.

"Clara, it's safe," I called, wondering momentarily if her tiny human ears could hear me through two closed doors. The flurry of footsteps rushing up the stairs said yes.

We stood together in the doorway, surveying the outside gloom.

“Do you think whoever did this...” she trailed off, small white teeth sinking into her lower lip.

She didn't have to ask. Her thoughts were the same as mine. Was whoever did this on Tau Ceti, in the village… nearby?

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.

We moved into the garden, huddling together under a contraption Clara called an umbrella.

It was a hideous thing, bright pink with lime green dots, but it spread widely enough to keep the brunt of the rain off us.

As we moved onto the street, I watched each step, steering clear of the congealed white globs dotting the landscape.

The lights from the village square flickered as we drew near.

It was as though the village existed frozen in time. The villagers stood like mannequins, the rain only adding a touch of creepiness to vacant expressions. Tabletops held remnants of the market day potluck—now unappetizing globs of drenched food and mumje.

"There's still so much mumje on the ground." Clara pressed close, afraid an accidental touch might turn her into a zombie.

I slid my arm around her shoulders, rubbing my knuckles up and down her spine.

“Touching the drug can’t infect you, darlin', only inhaling the particles."

“Good to know.” She offered a weak smile as her eyes darted about.

"Oh, my God. Mei!"

Clark jerked away, running a few feet toward a couple standing beside the remnants of the dessert table.

Mei stood pressed tight against Bartholomeus' chest. The large male had curled his body over the tiny woman in an attempt to protect her.

“What’s wrong with their eyes?” Clara asked, noticing the thick milky substance coating over the sclera and iris.

“A sign of the infection,” I grunted. My father had golden eyes like mine, but in my memories, all I recalled was the milky stare as he engaged in endless battle.

“Why isn’t the rain curing them?" Clara demanded, fingertips gingerly touching Mei's face as I attempted to cover all of us with the umbrella. Realizing the futility of keeping us dry, I abandoned the bright pink bubble. Besides, the rain had slowed to a manageable drizzle.

I sighed, dreading the next part. "The rain doesn’t cure those already infected.”

“What’s the cure?” Clara lifted Mei’s chin in her hand, trying desperately to find some semblance of recognition in the milky gaze.

“There isn’t one.”

"What?" Clara jerked to face me. "You said the rain...."