Page 17

Tanin

T he plasma pistol in Garnet’s hands didn’t really have much kickback. For as dangerous as it could be, it was quite easy to use. The ‘shot’ was a holo recreation of actual plasma fire. But it acted the same, firing at the same speed, opening up a fist sized, virtual hole in the target. Not quite in the center, but she’d hit it, and in the real world, you didn’t need much more than that.

It was her answer to his question, and it said enough. She might be scared, but she was going to fire her weapon anyway.

He turned, brushing his lips against her temple. Not quite kissing her but hinting at it. Silently speaking his approval. His was a dangerous life, but she was proving that not only did she want to stand equal to it, but she had the ability to do so.

Dangerous, but Tanin had never shied from danger.

“Keep your shoulders in,” he said. “Arms up. Try again.”

She fired. Closer to the mark, but still not dead center.

“Try again. They’re coming for you. They’re going to catch you.”

Another shot. Closer.

“They’re going to hurt you. They’re going to rape you. If they get their hands on you, it will be too late. This is your only chance to protect yourself.”

She shot. No closer. It might be further.

Tanin put his lips right to her ear. “They’re going to hurt your sister-”

Bam! Bam!

Two direct shots, dead on target.

“Perfect,” he praised, stroking her hands as she shivered. He rather liked the feel of her shaking in his arms. He wanted more. He wanted those tremors to be stronger. If he made her scream her pleasure, would she shake like this for him? Would she go wild for him?

He wasn’t just stroking her hands now. His fingers trailed down until he had his arms wrapped around her. One hand at her belly, pressing her against him, the other arm around her chest. Slowly grinding his hardening cock into the soft swell of her tempting ass.

“Keep your arms up,” he reminded her as her elbows began to bend. “You’re doing well. But do you know the very first thing you do when you think you might need to kill someone?”

“Tanin…” She panted, her arms shaking with the effort of keeping them up, even as she pressed herself against him. Her head fell back onto his shoulder.

“What’s the first thing you do? The most important thing you do?”

“A-Ask for your permission…” Her voice was breathy and weak.

“Good,” he praised, earning another full body shiver. Even stronger than the last. Oh, she liked that did she? “You’re a clever female. That’s exactly what you do. Unless killing is the only way to save your life immediately, you always ask me for permission first. And I will determine if your reason is good enough to earn their death. Although…”

He trailed off, reaching up to pluck the gun from her hands. She let it go easily. Submitting to him without question. He slid it into his belt, tucking it carelessly away, turning his attention fully onto her.

“I cannot imagine a scenario in which I allow you to bloody these hands.” He took her wrists in one hand, easily holding them both, so he could bring her fingers to his lips to gently kiss. He took his time doing it. Adoring each finger individually. She kept her hands limp, letting him maneuver her as he needed to reach every delicate digit.

“Tanin…” She breathed when he finished. “I…”

“This is a bad idea,” he said, releasing her wrists. “I know. I’m your sponsor. My responsibility is to protect you from people like myself.”

She chuckled, turning and putting her arms around his neck as he easily adjusted, taking the opportunity to grab a fistful of that luscious ass. It fit perfectly in his palm. His hands, he figured, would make a great seat for her to rest in as he lifted her up to kiss her more easily.

“So, you’re going to be a good, responsible sponsor and not touch me at all?” She asked, so sweet and innocent, he might think she had no idea the salacious ideas going through his head.

“That would be the smart thing,” he said, his other hand joining the first, getting a full grip of her. Soft and hot. Begging to bounce against his hips as he pounded her from behind. The kind of ass a male could caress as they waited for his cock to soften so he could slip out of her before going again.

“No one has ever accused me of being smart,” she chuckled.

“Maybe they just weren’t paying attention.”

Ah, she blushed. So prettily too. She enjoyed compliments. They were so easy to give. No part of her didn’t beg for them. No part of her didn’t please him in some way. If he were the poetic type, he’d spend a whole day describing to her every part he found beautiful.

But he wasn’t the poetic type. So, he’d rather kiss and suck every part instead. That would probably take much longer and be much more fun for him.

“You really going to just be a good boy and do what the fuzz says?” She asked, eyes gleaming with mischief. He didn’t need to know Earth slang to understand what she was saying. That kind of temptation only lured in the foolish and the brash. Something Tanin had never been, but something that seemed too easily succumbed to now.

“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he finally said, trying to fight against his fraying will power.

“You’re too bad for a good girl like me?” She asked so sweetly. “But you’re just a humble delivery boy. I’m sure you would never do anything to compromise me. I’m sure you kiss closed mouth, no longer than three seconds. You make love with the lights off, under the covers. Strictly missionary. No crazy positions. You probably wouldn’t even like it if I were to shove your cock all the way down my throat and suck it until you blasted my belly full of-Ee!”

She was laughing as he picked her up. Using his grip on her ass to set her on the console of the practice range. Doing so jostled him, making the precariously hung plasma pistol fall into the range. The practice field buzzed angrily at the dropped weapon. But he ignored the jolting sound as he grabbed her by the neck, jerking her in close. Cutting off her taunting words by capturing her lips. Thrusting his tongue into her mouth, silencing her mockery.

She knew what she was doing. She was already anticipating his kiss. Even as she squeaked in surprise, she was already grabbing back at him. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as she tried to trap his hips with her thighs. Squeezing him close as she returned his kiss.

Bold. Brave. Demanding. A female that new exactly what she wanted and took it. The kind of confidence and determination he couldn’t resist, wrapped in a sweet and soft package that was completely foreign to him.

She tasted carefree. Unbound. Unburdened. She fit against him so well. Molding to his body like she was designed to rest there. Her tongue was so slick and smooth compared to his. She made a sound of surprise when she felt the barbs at the back of his own tongue. She explored them curiously, as he did the same to her. His tongue barbs were cartilaginous, mostly vestigial, and weren’t all that sharp. But he could feel her curiosity as she explored him.

The tongue barbs and the dual fangs to either side of his upper front teeth. Sharp parts of his body. He was only sharp. It was in direct contrast to her softness.

Her tongue was a bit bumpy, but, really, it was just slick and moist and smooth. By the black, even her sharpest teeth were blunted and rounded off. Did she truly have no natural defenses? How could something so helpless be so brave and fearless?

Because she’d never had something to break her. To turn her softness sour and scared.

And she never would, he promised, fingers tightening into her back. He was glad his species didn’t have claws at their fingertips like most. His nails were rounded like hers, though not nearly as thin and delicate. He could cling to her without worry.

Which he did. Crushing her to him as she made a sound of choked delight.

He was lost in her kiss. Her taste. Her warmth. Unsure how he could ever come up for air. What was the next breath compared to her lips? Until one of her fingers started tracing up the back of his neck.

Tanin reacted fast, catching her wrist, stopping her before she could get much higher. Their kiss broken, she blinked at him. Startled by the way he’d suddenly stopped. But he had no choice.

“You’re going to hurt yourself. My quills are sharp.”

“Are they really?” She asked, her smile widening. Like she loved that idea.

“There’s not much of me that isn’t,” he admitted, lowering her hand. Doing so, he showed her the knuckles on his hand. The knuckle claws that he very rarely covered with protective gloves. They were a natural defense that were devastating if they landed across a foe’s bare skin. They were darker gray than his skin, triangularly shaped protrusions pointing off his knuckles. When his fingers were relaxed, they rested against the skin, practically harmless.

But when he made a fist, their points jutted forward. They were sharp and thick, but not particularly long. They didn’t need to be. They gouged rather than stabbed, digging deep divots into anything they struck. Especially flesh. He could punch a male to the bone with one strike. If that was across their face, it would be devastating.

“Knuckle claws,” Garnet smiled like she was enchanted, gently touching one of the dark gray protrusions. “Quills. Little fangs. Even your tongue… You’re all points and sharp edges. Is there any part of you that’s a little more blunted and… hard ?”

The way she rotated her hips, pushing forward against him as her thighs clenched, left no doubt as to her implication. And the tone of her voice left no doubt that she was sure the answer would be either yes, there was, or something else equally playful in return.

But this was as good a chance to warn her as any. And maybe this would finally be the thing that properly scared her away. Saving her from him.

“As a matter of fact, there’s not,” he growled, making her shiver.

But then she stilled. Paused. Considered his words carefully, before asking, “There’s no part of you that isn’t sharp ?” Like she wanted him to clarify.

There was no room to leave doubt here. Humans were notoriously soft. Tanin didn’t know anything about human males or their cocks, but he did know about his own and the other alien females he’d been with.

“No part,” he agreed, grabbing her wrist. He brought it down, pressing it on his cock. It throbbed under her touch, and he groaned. Grinding against her palm. She was panting, leaning back like she was trying to present that tempting little cunt to him.

“This has barbs,” he promised, using her hand to stroke himself as she trembled. “And when I come, they dig into your soft little walls and lock me inside, keeping me from pulling out. So, you better be damn sure that’s what you want before you let me fuck you. Because I’m not stopping once I’m inside you. And I won’t pull out until those barbs go down again.”

“Fuck,” she breathed, shivering. “That’s not hot… that’s not hot… that shouldn’t be hot. There is nothing sexy about a shredded pussy.”

“Oh, they’re not designed for that,” he promised, still keeping her hand in place. Still grinding slowly into her palm as her fingers clenched and unclenched rhythmically. “But they are designed to keep you right on my cock. Trapped on me as I fill you up. They won’t injure you if you pull out, but it won’t feel good either. Not that it’s something you’d need to worry about. Trust me. If I get you on my cock, you’re not coming off again. Not for a while.”

“Tanin… please…” She was panting, head shaking, eyes closed tight. Like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to demand he keep going or pull back and end this before it went too far.

Which was all the answer he needed.

He stepped back, forcing himself to release her hand and let it drop from his groin. Though it was like ripping away his own arm. And it wasn’t made any easier by the way she tried to follow him, reaching out like she might take hold of him again.

“Get up,” he ordered, his voice rough. “Your lesson isn’t over yet.”

She laughed once, her head falling forward. “You really expect me to stand when my legs are jelly like this?”

“You’re going to learn to shoot,” Tanin promised. And it was much easier to force himself to think about her safety over the eager pain in his sac. “If you want to run headfirst into danger, you’re going to learn how to do it first. Get up. Take your stance.”

She gave him a look before hopping down. And when she bent over to retrieve the lost pistol, she spent a little more time than necessary doing so. Offering him a wonderful view of that ass he had been palming moments ago.

An offer he was quite happy to take her up on.

But he was determined, and the rest of the shooting lesson went well. With him standing a few steps away, correcting her with his words and not wrapping her up in his arms again.

And, honestly, she was a pretty good shot.

He made a mental note to get her some non-projectile weapons at the next station. A shock stick actually meant for her smaller hand. Maybe a blade. He should probably get her something like his ribbon as well. A weapon that could pass for a random, harmless object, so that she would never be fully disarmed. If anything, it was more important for her as she had no claws or stinger tail or anything resembling a natural defense.

Those thoughts helped distract him from how beautiful she looked with a gun in her hand and a determined glint in her eye. Like she really was imagining shooting someone.

Not that he would ever allow that. She could protect herself – and in point of fact, she should be able to protect herself. But her hands were clean, and he intended to keep them that way.