five cycles ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is your father alive?"
"Yes."
"Did he love your mother?"
His full, finely chiseled mouth curved up in a smile. "Yes, very muchand she, him."
Karic frowned at the color that rose to Liane's cheeks. "Is that so hard to believe? That a Bellatorian femina would find a full-blooded Cat Man worth loving?"
Her eyes darkened with some emotion Karic couldn't discern. "No, not hard to believe at all. I am glad they found happiness together."
Liane lay aside her fruit, suddenly warm under the intensity of Karic's gaze. It was too close, too smothering in the chamber. She wanted to leave, breathe fresh air and clear her head of the entangling emotions that threatened to choke off all logic and reasoning. But she couldn't. There was nowhere to go.
Instead, Liane gathered her blanket around her and lay down. "I am tired. With your leave, I'd like a few horas sleep before we head out this nocte."
Karic nodded, eyeing her with a sharp, glittering awareness.
Unable to bear the intensity of his gaze, Liane rolled over to face the wall.
Prickling bursts of fire coursed through Karic, warming his flesh and heating his blood. He stirred uneasily, glancing over at Liane's sleeping form. The sensations rippling through his body only intensified. With a low curse, Karic rose and began to restlessly pace the confines of the chamber.
The triple moons of Agrica were nearing their triannual alignment; they could be doing so this very nocte for all he knew. And forces, too powerful for any Cat Man to resist, would soon be set into an inevitable sequence of events. It could be a most pleasurable sequence of events, to be sure, when both participants were driven by the same impulses, but Karic knew Liane would never understand, much less willingly participate.
Once every three cycles, the Cat Men's innate urge to procreate flared to uncontrollable heights. Deeply instinctual, the compulsion overrode all conscious thought or reason, stirring needs that had to be sated. Failure to find a mating partner resulted in an agonizing death.
Karic knew that special nocte was drawing near and thought he'd be able to make it back to his lair in time, but now he wasn't so sure. A full eight sols had passed since he'd left his people's hiding place in the Serratus Mountains. Three sols journey and nearly five more had been squandered in his capture and escape. With the considerably slower pace of traveling with Liane, another three if not four were left before he'd reach the lair once more. Was there enough time left?
He should have felt the first stirrings earlier, but so much had transpired of late to override the warning signs, much less find the time to pay heed to them. And it had never been an issue before. Though breeding females were limited in their lair he'd never lacked for willing partners. But now, there was only Lianeand he'd given his word not to touch her. The vow had been made with the greatest of difficulty, as it was, and only because he rationally convinced himself there was no other choice. But this lust smoldering within him, awaiting only the combined force of the triple moons to set it into inexorable motion, was unthinking, uncaring and savage.
His long, agitated strides carried him to the edge of the pool. Better for her if he left her here and came back when the time had passed. But the time could be two, three, even four sols away. He had no way of knowing until he saw the nocte sky, a sky that had eluded his gaze for the past five sols. Perhaps this nocte he would know. Until then, time was still of the essence. He must continue his journey back to his peoplewith Liane.
Karic turned to the chamber. It was near dusk; he could sense it. Time to waken Liane and prepare for their journey. They had a long nocte of travel ahead. If they were fortunate, they could just reach a farming village set at the edge of the forest before it was too light to go further. It was a farming village, Karic
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is your father alive?"
"Yes."
"Did he love your mother?"
His full, finely chiseled mouth curved up in a smile. "Yes, very muchand she, him."
Karic frowned at the color that rose to Liane's cheeks. "Is that so hard to believe? That a Bellatorian femina would find a full-blooded Cat Man worth loving?"
Her eyes darkened with some emotion Karic couldn't discern. "No, not hard to believe at all. I am glad they found happiness together."
Liane lay aside her fruit, suddenly warm under the intensity of Karic's gaze. It was too close, too smothering in the chamber. She wanted to leave, breathe fresh air and clear her head of the entangling emotions that threatened to choke off all logic and reasoning. But she couldn't. There was nowhere to go.
Instead, Liane gathered her blanket around her and lay down. "I am tired. With your leave, I'd like a few horas sleep before we head out this nocte."
Karic nodded, eyeing her with a sharp, glittering awareness.
Unable to bear the intensity of his gaze, Liane rolled over to face the wall.
Prickling bursts of fire coursed through Karic, warming his flesh and heating his blood. He stirred uneasily, glancing over at Liane's sleeping form. The sensations rippling through his body only intensified. With a low curse, Karic rose and began to restlessly pace the confines of the chamber.
The triple moons of Agrica were nearing their triannual alignment; they could be doing so this very nocte for all he knew. And forces, too powerful for any Cat Man to resist, would soon be set into an inevitable sequence of events. It could be a most pleasurable sequence of events, to be sure, when both participants were driven by the same impulses, but Karic knew Liane would never understand, much less willingly participate.
Once every three cycles, the Cat Men's innate urge to procreate flared to uncontrollable heights. Deeply instinctual, the compulsion overrode all conscious thought or reason, stirring needs that had to be sated. Failure to find a mating partner resulted in an agonizing death.
Karic knew that special nocte was drawing near and thought he'd be able to make it back to his lair in time, but now he wasn't so sure. A full eight sols had passed since he'd left his people's hiding place in the Serratus Mountains. Three sols journey and nearly five more had been squandered in his capture and escape. With the considerably slower pace of traveling with Liane, another three if not four were left before he'd reach the lair once more. Was there enough time left?
He should have felt the first stirrings earlier, but so much had transpired of late to override the warning signs, much less find the time to pay heed to them. And it had never been an issue before. Though breeding females were limited in their lair he'd never lacked for willing partners. But now, there was only Lianeand he'd given his word not to touch her. The vow had been made with the greatest of difficulty, as it was, and only because he rationally convinced himself there was no other choice. But this lust smoldering within him, awaiting only the combined force of the triple moons to set it into inexorable motion, was unthinking, uncaring and savage.
His long, agitated strides carried him to the edge of the pool. Better for her if he left her here and came back when the time had passed. But the time could be two, three, even four sols away. He had no way of knowing until he saw the nocte sky, a sky that had eluded his gaze for the past five sols. Perhaps this nocte he would know. Until then, time was still of the essence. He must continue his journey back to his peoplewith Liane.
Karic turned to the chamber. It was near dusk; he could sense it. Time to waken Liane and prepare for their journey. They had a long nocte of travel ahead. If they were fortunate, they could just reach a farming village set at the edge of the forest before it was too light to go further. It was a farming village, Karic
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