Page 184 of Pets in Space 10

Phenomenal sex.

It was the only way to describe what she’d experienced with Luka. Gentle caresses mixed with rough strokes from his calloused hands. Hard thrusts, soft kisses and dirty whispers.

Aftershocks continued to shake her frame from the multiple orgasms. She wasn’t a shy virgin by any means and yet nothing in her past prepared her for what they’d shared. He’d touched her with reverence and hunger, watching her every reaction to guide him.

The combination was so novel, so appealing, she’d wanted to drown in the emotions he brought forth. When he nuzzled the side of her face, her heart softened even more. She knew she was setting herself up to get hurt in the worst way.

Firm lips pressed to her forehead, pulling her from her thoughts. “You okay?”

“Yes.” She locked down her out of control feelings and reminded her heart about the pain that came from letting someone close. Knowing didn’t help when her body lay limp from satiation against his.

She ran her fingers down the side of his throat, across the curve of his shoulder and the muscled lines of his arm. Her hand paused its rhythmic stroking to hover above the tattoo that took up the lower half. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about this.”

His chest rumbled with laughter as he cradled her closer and pressed on the back of her head until she rested her cheek on his chest. Holding his left arm aloft, he said, “It’s Zsusa.”

“Yes,” she drawled in some amusement. “I figured that.”

“No,” he emphasized. “It’s Zsusa. Gathos are symbiotic creatures who can bond with an individual of their choice. They’re highly intelligent, telepathic and mischievous. To have one form a bond with you is rare and extremely coveted.”

“Coveted?” Her gaze went over the lines of the tattoo.

“Mmmm,” he hummed under his breath. “She’s a living being who can take the form of a tattoo. It means she can pass any security measure in place due to her positioning on my skin. The opportunities to use her for malevolent intent are endless.”

Stars! That wasn’t even something she’d considered. “The ultimate spy.”

“Or assassin,” he stated in a dark voice. “Gathos can slide into places others can’t get in, bypass security and take out a target without any the wiser if trained to do so.”

Questions raced through her mind. “Can anyone take her from you?”

“No. Outside of death, once a bond is formed only the other half of the symbiosis can end it.”

Her brows creased and she pushed up. Or tried to. His other arm around her waist clamped tight until she kicked at his foot to gain release. She sat up and stared down at him. “What about the gathos? Can’t they end the connection if they don’t like it anymore?”

He shook his head. “That’s why it’s rare for one to bond. If they misjudge the individual, it could be a dangerous situation for them.”

“Dangerous how?” She was intrigued, yet worried for Zsusa. From her experience, the cuddly ball of fluff was naive and playful. Who’d want to harm one of them?

He didn’t answer right away, his gaze locked on his arm as he turned it from side to side. She couldn’t read the emotion in his eyes, but his body had grown tense next to her. “Gathos commit fully, but they’re still wild creatures. There are two commands they can’t refuse. Return and release.

“Outside of those, they have free will. Most do anything the bond partner asks without question. Occasionally they have bouts of defiance. It’s normal for their kind, but someone could abuse them for that stubborn trait.

If they refuse a task, the symbiotic partner could deny them release and force them to stay on skin. ”

A rough edge coated the last words. His brows lowered to a deep v and his hand formed a fist. She rubbed his shoulder in an effort to ease his apparent distress. “What does stay on skin me?”

He looked up and pointed at his tattoo. “Forcing a gathos to stay in this form for long periods of time would be akin to torture. It’s in their nature to wander and investigate things.

They’re inquisitive and playful. You could essentially create a fear response by refusing to release them until they agree to do whatever they’re told. ”

Her mouth dropped. “That’s…that’s horrific.”

He offered a clipped nod. “Exactly. I saw a bonded gathos once and the owner…he was vile. His stench and appearance hinted at a hard life, his eyes were dead. When he released his gathos to steal from a vendor at an open food market, the animal’s fur was matted, bones showed through the malnourished frame, eyes listless.

She didn’t try hard to escape when the vendor caught her and slit her throat. ”

Rage with no outlet built in Kari. The thought of how the other gathos must have suffered before the end left her sick to her stomach. “How…can I ask how you came to bond with Zsusa?”

He rolled onto his side, facing her and some of the tension eased from him. His arms smoothed up her back. “I was out doing a quick scouting trip for…something else I won’t discuss right now.”

She snorted and stretched out next to him, her elbow balancing her weight as she ran her foot along his calf. The hair tickled her toes. “We’ll discuss the something else later.”

“Anyway,” he continued with a smirk, gripping her thigh and pulling it over his hip. Who knew the brash kidnapper was a cuddler? “I stumbled on a gathos den. A vorra beast had gotten to it. Tore into the adult and the four kits inside.

“Burying them seemed the right thing to do. In the middle of putting the bodies in the hole, the fourth kit made this low mewling sound. She fit in the palm of my hand and squirmed. I took her home, thinking she’d probably die in a day or two.

“From the information I searched, gathos don’t survive long without the parent to nurse them. I special ordered this formula, bottle fed her three times a day and each time, I expected to find her dead.” He shrugged. “She survived. Around month six, she bonded to me.”

She tried to imagine this gruff, tough guy feeding a tiny kit the size of his hand and her heart melted. “I bet there’s more to it than that.”

He pushed her hair back from her face and winked. “You know enough.”

“I am curious about one last thing. Zsusa refers to you as master.” She frowned at him. “That’s archaic. No one should call anyone by that term. Plus, if you’ve raised her since a baby, she at least deserves to call you by your name.”

Sudden laughter exploded from his chest and he fell onto his back. He laughed so hard, tears gleamed in his eyes. She smacked his chest and huffed. “It’s not that funny. Slavery is illegal and should include animals.”

A few more chuckles escaped as he tugged her to straddle his lap. She resisted on principle for his misplaced humor then gave in and braced her hands on his chest to peer down at him. Her glare had no impact on his wide smile.

“There are no parental titles in the gathos language because they’re parthenogenetic and don’t need a partner to reproduce.

Mistress or master is the closest word for them to acknowledge that familial relationship.

If I were Zsusa’s actual parent, she still would refer to me as master.

Or a female who raised her as mistress.” He tweaked her nose.

“We need to start planning how to get you out of here.”

She let the topic of Zsusa and gathos drop though she was even more intrigued by the entire concept. “It’s almost evening. How were you going to do this?”

He stroked back the hair falling in her face, his tactile nature a continued surprise to her. “First, I need to contact Zair.”

Her lips curled down in dismay. “Do you think he’s the best person to involve?”

Humor lingered on his face. “I only need to let him know I’m safe. It’s a promise we made to one another when we were young. He won’t ask more questions. Afterward, I’m going to see about smuggling you on a ship with a late departure time slot.”

“You don’t think Gubu’s going to check every transport, ship and shuttle leaving Orion?”

“Which is where the smuggle part comes into play,” he responded.

She sighed and absently rubbed his chest. The natural heat of his skin warmed her palms. “I suppose with your background you’d know the appropriate people for something like that.”

He pinched her thigh with one hand and slapped her bare butt with the other. “Someone thinks they’re funny.”

***

Luka stared at the beautiful woman sitting astride his lap and thought if they were different people, if he was a different person, she’d be a woman he could love.

Kari made him laugh without trying. Her sarcastic humor and easy manner made it easy to forget the situation they were in. Or that she wasn’t meant for him.

Blonde hair fell around her face, the ends brushing the pink nipples he’d sucked on and off through two bouts of sex. She’d been with him all the way each time. Her enthusiastic cries encouraged him to continue and push them both to greater heights.

Now, he held her in the aftermath of their spent passion and the emotions she’d pulled from him were still there, only in softer form.

He slid his hands up her back and down to the curve of her hips.

Unable to resist, he squeezed her plump butt cheeks, loving the flush that spread from her chest down her torso and disappeared from his view.

His exhausted cock stirred in a valiant effort. Maybe they had time for one more round. His comm buzzed, disrupting the thought. He braced her with one hand on her waist and reached over to the side of the blanket to snag it. “Talk.”

“Nice of you to let me know you were alright,” Zair grumbled.

“You were my next call. What did you learn about the raiders in Ahain’s camp?”

“They were looking for her. Tried to question everyone, but you know Ahain’s people.”

Yeah. The nomads weren’t open to talking to strangers and even less one of the Rudurian. Their reputation preceded them and only the lowest would deal with them. Which brought to mind why the fuck his brother would sit at a gaming table with one.

He shook off the thought. “I need you to get a hold of Tagar.”

There was a moment of silence before his brother exploded. “Tagar! That’s the first place Zubu will look. Tagar’s known to smuggle anything for the right price. He’ll also sell his own mother for the same price which means he’ll tell Zubu after agreeing to hide you.”

Kari eased from his lap and Luka reluctantly let her go. His gaze followed her as she grabbed sanitizing wipes from the kit and cleaned herself. Not looking away, he told Zair. “Tell him he owes me. I need passage for two tonight. If he betrays me, I’ll make sure he never finds Vita.”

Vita was Tagar’s daughter and under his sole custody.

Two years ago, her mother had come for a visit and taken their eight-year-old daughter during the night.

Tagar had been looking for her ever since.

Before Luka came to Orion, he’d gotten word on Vita’s whereabouts.

That knowledge would be his and Kari’s ticket off planet.

“You can’t be serious, Luka?” Zair asked.

Luka pushed upright and swiped his hair back from his forehead. “Very. The lieutenant and I will be at the station later when it’s dark. I need you to linger around the Vixen as if I’m going to get on Melly’s ship.”

“Decoy, bait and switch.”

“That’s right,” Luka said. He was putting a lot of trust in his brother who was responsible for this whole shit show. “Don’t fuck up, Zair.”