shirt. “Pollen?"
"Yes. Clouds of it. It made all the higher mammals rut and we, being higher mammals, did the same."
"May I have this shirt to take samples?"
"Take it. You may burn it when you're finished. I never want to smell that scent again."
"It is rather pungent ."
"Perhaps you can make an antidote."
A'Kosu'an frowned. “That's unlikely. It doesn't matter how the bond came to be. If it exists, it can't be denied."
"No.” Kol opened the door of his quarters and bowed to A'Kosu'an, a polite but unmistakable dismissal. “But it can be broken."
Long after A'Kosu'an left, Kol lay in his bed cursing his visions.
Until this mission he'd always considered them a gift. The Antarean colonists had found ways to extend their life spans and ensure good health. They'd bred the visions into their warriors to aid in battle and into their leaders in hopes they would be able to see the outcome of political decisions. The mating bond had assured loyalty among couples to strengthen bloodlines and keep families strong.
Today these gifts seemed like curses, not because he didn't long for Charity's touch, her unique taste and scent and the feel of her supple body in his arms, but because he could not justify the pain she would suffer if the Elders forced her to leave Antares.
He'd read of cases where the mating bond could be severed by less drastic means than the ritual betrayal enacted before the Council. Breaking the bond would bring its own brand of shame to his lineage, but at least Charity would be free to leave the compound and escape Gar Gremin's wrath.
Kol tossed and turned and his stomach knotted. Sweat drenched him, making the thin sheets of his bed cling to his body.
He saw her standing before him in the darkness, her body nothing more than a silhouette. He sensed her reach for him and his body responded, readying for her, hardening in anticipation of plunging in to her willing heat.
Her voice echoed in his mind. "Tie me up again before you do it, just do it!"
He couldn't deny her or himself any longer. He took her eagerly and with no thought to the consequences. The ecstasy of sinking his aching sex into her body replaced all logical thought and each thrust brought him closer to the relief he'd been begging for all day.
He woke gasping. His right hand, clenched around his still pulsing cock, was sticky with his own release. His body trembled with the force of it, and still his gut ached for her.
* * * *
Charity braced herself on the ornate door jamb outside of Kol's quarters. Had she been in better condition, she might have been able to appreciate the intricate Antarean architecture and the sense of aesthetics and efficiency with which the tribal village had been constructed.
Unfortunately the short walk at dawn through the pastoral gardens and serene landscapes from the infirmary to Kol's quarters had been made in haste and terrible discomfort. A'Kosu'an had left Charity on Kol's doorstep, like a discarded waif.
"The Council has deemed you A'Kosu'ri's legal and moral responsibility,” the Antarean woman had said. “He must care for you until they conclude their investigation."
Charity might have questioned A'Kosu'an, but it was all she could do to remain upright. She forced a long, determined breath out between clenched teeth and rapped on Kol's heavy wooden door.
When the door swung open finally, Charity managed a tight smile. At least Kol had the decency to look as bad as she ... had felt just a moment ago.
The sudden absence of pain staggered her and she wobbled. Kol caught her, but rather than scoop her up in his arms, he merely set her on her feet and glared at her. “You should have stayed away."
Charity growled and pushed past him into the luxurious suite he called home. Lightheaded with relief, she couldn't decide if she wanted to dance, or kick his tight Antarean ass into next week.
"Can you please explain to me how I can feel a thousand percent better than I did a minute ago? I've been in
"Yes. Clouds of it. It made all the higher mammals rut and we, being higher mammals, did the same."
"May I have this shirt to take samples?"
"Take it. You may burn it when you're finished. I never want to smell that scent again."
"It is rather pungent ."
"Perhaps you can make an antidote."
A'Kosu'an frowned. “That's unlikely. It doesn't matter how the bond came to be. If it exists, it can't be denied."
"No.” Kol opened the door of his quarters and bowed to A'Kosu'an, a polite but unmistakable dismissal. “But it can be broken."
Long after A'Kosu'an left, Kol lay in his bed cursing his visions.
Until this mission he'd always considered them a gift. The Antarean colonists had found ways to extend their life spans and ensure good health. They'd bred the visions into their warriors to aid in battle and into their leaders in hopes they would be able to see the outcome of political decisions. The mating bond had assured loyalty among couples to strengthen bloodlines and keep families strong.
Today these gifts seemed like curses, not because he didn't long for Charity's touch, her unique taste and scent and the feel of her supple body in his arms, but because he could not justify the pain she would suffer if the Elders forced her to leave Antares.
He'd read of cases where the mating bond could be severed by less drastic means than the ritual betrayal enacted before the Council. Breaking the bond would bring its own brand of shame to his lineage, but at least Charity would be free to leave the compound and escape Gar Gremin's wrath.
Kol tossed and turned and his stomach knotted. Sweat drenched him, making the thin sheets of his bed cling to his body.
He saw her standing before him in the darkness, her body nothing more than a silhouette. He sensed her reach for him and his body responded, readying for her, hardening in anticipation of plunging in to her willing heat.
Her voice echoed in his mind. "Tie me up again before you do it, just do it!"
He couldn't deny her or himself any longer. He took her eagerly and with no thought to the consequences. The ecstasy of sinking his aching sex into her body replaced all logical thought and each thrust brought him closer to the relief he'd been begging for all day.
He woke gasping. His right hand, clenched around his still pulsing cock, was sticky with his own release. His body trembled with the force of it, and still his gut ached for her.
* * * *
Charity braced herself on the ornate door jamb outside of Kol's quarters. Had she been in better condition, she might have been able to appreciate the intricate Antarean architecture and the sense of aesthetics and efficiency with which the tribal village had been constructed.
Unfortunately the short walk at dawn through the pastoral gardens and serene landscapes from the infirmary to Kol's quarters had been made in haste and terrible discomfort. A'Kosu'an had left Charity on Kol's doorstep, like a discarded waif.
"The Council has deemed you A'Kosu'ri's legal and moral responsibility,” the Antarean woman had said. “He must care for you until they conclude their investigation."
Charity might have questioned A'Kosu'an, but it was all she could do to remain upright. She forced a long, determined breath out between clenched teeth and rapped on Kol's heavy wooden door.
When the door swung open finally, Charity managed a tight smile. At least Kol had the decency to look as bad as she ... had felt just a moment ago.
The sudden absence of pain staggered her and she wobbled. Kol caught her, but rather than scoop her up in his arms, he merely set her on her feet and glared at her. “You should have stayed away."
Charity growled and pushed past him into the luxurious suite he called home. Lightheaded with relief, she couldn't decide if she wanted to dance, or kick his tight Antarean ass into next week.
"Can you please explain to me how I can feel a thousand percent better than I did a minute ago? I've been in
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