Shalia's Diary #5 Read online

  SHALIA’S DIARY

  Book 5

  A Clans of Kalquor Story

  Tracy St. John

  © copyright October 2014, Tracy St. John

  Cover art by Erin Dameron-Hill, © copyright 2015

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s

  imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or

  events is merely coincidence.

  Smashwords Edition

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  PLEASE NOTE:

  Shalia’s Diary is an ongoing serial story. This is Book 5 of that tale, picking up where Book 4 left off. It is highly advised that you read Books 1 - 4 in their entirety before reading this part.

  March 28

  This morning Oses and Betra showed up in my room in Medical at the same time. Betra smiled as sweet as sugar at the Nobek as he greeted him with a cheery, “Good morning, Commander.”

  Oses nodded, his expression as noncommittal as its normal fierce set ever gets. “Hello, Betra.”

  I noticed that Oses’ gaze lingered on Betra’s face longer than politeness required. In fact, he looked long enough that my liaison flushed a little bit. Boy, I hope they don’t start butting heads again over the fact Betra doesn’t screw guys and Oses is dying to screw Betra.

  Betra came in and dropped a kiss on my forehead. “How are you feeling, Shalia?”

  “Sane.” I gave him a brave smile.

  He stepped back to allow Oses to also kiss me hello. The Nobek’s intense stare was all for me now. “Are you still having nightmares?”

  I shrugged. “I probably will for some time yet. I haven’t hid in any closets for a couple of weeks though. Dr. Feru is happy about that. Baby steps, you know.”

  Speaking of baby, I was reminded to rub my belly. I’ve got definite bump now as my hitchhiker grows. Tep has warned me that when I start having sex again, it is time to be cautious.

  Oses caught my motion and put his hand over mine on my stomach. “I hope this little one is doing all right as well.”

  “He ... or she ... is active. Healthy too, they say. We’ll know if it’s a girl or a boy soon.” I felt a flutter of nervous anticipation about that news. The more evidence I had of my child being something real, the more anxious and excited I got.

  “Sixteen weeks, right?” Betra asked.

  “Or seventeen. Tep still can’t quite pin it down,” I said. “The sizes and pace of development of hybrids vary too much for him to be sure.”

  “I do hope you have it before we get to Kalquor,” the liaison enthused. “I want to meet your child.”

  Oses looked at Betra again. Out of the clear blue, he suddenly asked, “Why did you never tell me your uncle abused you?”

  Betra started. His eyes went wide in shock, and he seemed unable to answer at first.

  “I told him, Betra,” I said to give him time to recover. “I thought Oses should know why you reject his advances.”

  The Imdiko frowned. “I reject his advances because I do not have any interest in sex with other men. That my uncle forced himself on me has nothing to do with that.” He looked at Oses and sighed. “It does have everything to do with why I’m so uncomfortable with the least little indication of physical intimacy with men. I realize I’m overly sensitive about that.”

  “Like when I touched your hair while we played with Shalia?” Oses pressed.

  Betra smiled sadly. “Exactly. I know I went overboard in my anger. As for why I never told you ... I’m not sure.” He shrugged. “I’ve kept it secret from everyone but Shalia. Talking about it takes me back to that time and how guilty it made me feel. I felt like it was I who did something wrong.”

  “You know that’s not true.”

  “I know it in my head, but it’s not how I felt when it happened. I guess that’s why I didn’t tell you. Since you didn’t know all that, you must have believed you could convince me to relent. I apologize for not explaining myself.”

  Oses blew out a breath. “I am the one who should beg your pardon. I have been pushing at you to see me as a potential clanmate, or at least a lover, for months. I thought I could seduce you into changing your mind. You said no, you said it plainly, and that should have been good enough to make me stop pursuing you. Instead, I ignored your insistence that we would never happen simply because ... simply because.”

  I remembered that Oses had said Nobeks did not profess their love to other men. It hung in the air though, a huge thing that could not be spoken but was understood.

  It affected Betra deeply. His eyes went bright and he swallowed hard before putting his hand on top of Oses’, which still covered my hand.

  With obvious difficulty, Betra said, “How can I tell you what’s in my heart without giving you hope for what will never be? If a man can love another without sex playing a part, then we would be lifemates. Oses, you are important to me, more than you can possibly grasp. But I can’t offer you more than a platonic relationship. I just can’t.”

  The Nobek nodded. “I understand that now, Betra. It is less by far than what I wanted for us, but I would not harm you for all the Empire. If I can only have a small part in your life, then I will take it.” He chuckled then, but it was an empty sound. “In these last weeks, I have learned that even the tiniest rewards must be appreciated. I will accept what little fate has chosen to bestow and be grateful for it.”

  With that, Oses turned away and left us to stare after him.

  “At least he won’t be chasing you around anymore,” I offered weakly.

  “No. I do hope he meant it when he said he would remain a part of my life, though.” Betra looked at the empty doorway, as if hoping Oses would return.

  When he did not, we talked about things that wouldn’t make either of us sad: the baby, messages I needed to reply to, my potential suitors and the lottery, and anything else we could think of that had nothing to do with my abduction or Oses. Betra stayed until Candy and Katrina showed up to make me laugh with tales of their latest sexual conquests. I think the gals make up half the stories they tell me, but it’s still great fun just to be silly.

  March 29

  I’m sprung from Medical at long last. Dr. Feru has released me back into the wild with sedatives to help me when I can’t fall asleep.

  Betra accompanied me to my quarters. It was odd to see my rooms once more, like visiting a house I’d occupied in the distant past. It had only been six weeks, but it felt like a lifetime since I’d last been in those rooms.

  “Come look,” Betra invited me as he opened my closet. “I got Candy to help me pick out some maternity clothes from ship’s stores. You should be all set for a little while now.”

  I laughingly plucked at some ruffled pink thing with a short skirt. “It could be worse,” I said. “Heaven only knows what Katrina would have picked out for me to wear.”

  “Thongs and high heels,” Betra snickered. “That woman is hopeless.”

  “You mean you would object to me in a thong?” I asked. I teased, but I already felt a little self-conscious about my rounding stomach. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Betra seeing me in little or no clothing.

  “Absolutely. It covers too much.” Betra leered. “In fact, I wondered if I could see you without anything on while I have a little time to get you settled back in.”

  “T
hat’s right. You’re the guy who thinks he likes a round, ripe figure.” I couldn’t keep the disbelief out of my tone.

  He grinned. “I know I do. Please, Shalia? I’m dying to see you now that you’re showing.”

  “Ugh,” I muttered. “I wouldn’t mind having sex, but I was hoping we could turn all the lights off first.”

  “Come on,” Betra coaxed, already tugging on my blouse. “You know you’re beautiful. You know you excite me. Let me see.”

  I let him pull my shirt off. Though I privately found my growing girth to be exciting simply because of the evidence of life happening inside me, I didn’t kid myself about how I looked. The word ‘blob’ comes to mind.

  I fussed the instant my belly came into view. “Is that a stretch mark? Oh jeez, it is. How is it I’ve got one so early on?”

  “Quiet, woman,” Betra commanded. He sank to his knees before me and framed my gut with his hands. He stared sappily at my stomach. “Look at this. Look at you!”

  “You look,” I groused. “I’ll look later. Like when the kid is out and my stomach doesn’t look like I’m smuggling a soccer ball.”

  Betra kissed all over my stomach. “You are an idiot, Shalia. This is amazing. Here’s a kiss for you –” he smacked lips to belly loudly “—and here’s a kiss for the babe. And another kiss for each of these wonderful marks of honor –”

  “Marks? Plural? I’ve got more than one?” I bent double to look, whacking my head against Betra’s. I saw stars.

  I got a few sharp smacks on my bottom too, courtesy of Betra’s ready palm. “Stop behaving like a ninny,” he told me. “Embrace your fortune. Your body is a miracle. You have to see that.”

  That man really has a thing for pregnancy. I get the idea that if Betra got the chance to bear children himself, he’d do it in a heartbeat. He’d be useless to everyone because he’d spend all day rubbing his stomach.

  “And these!” he exclaimed, getting past belly worship long enough to note my slightly enlarged breasts. “By the ancestors and Mother of All, these are wonderful.”

  Any further praises Betra might have sung to the swelling body o’ Shalia were cut off because he opted to fill his mouth with my tits. Oh double joy – the thrill of lust and the relief of shutting him up.

  I suppose I should be delighted that Betra is so enamored with my growing figure rather than being turned off. He takes it a little far though.

  I lost track of embarrassment and irritation as he suckled and kissed my breasts. Happy zings traveled from my mounds to my clit as my lover lavished attention. I sighed and sank into the joy of being erotically mauled.

  It got even better when Betra moved his hands up the backs of my legs, under my skirt. He grabbed hold of my ass, pulling me close to himself as he continued to mouth my breasts. He kneaded my flesh with those big hands. The room was filled with sucking sounds and sighs.

  My body hummed with contentment. Okay, so maybe baby bump worship was a good thing after all. I certainly wasn’t complaining right then.

  Betra pulled my panties down so that they fell to my ankles. I was barely aware when I stepped out of them. Instinct held sway over me, because my attention was riveted on the Imdiko’s mouth and hands as they moved over my flesh.

  My skirt was tugged off too. I was naked and not worried about it in any way after all. Betra made me feel too good.

  He scooped me up in his arms and stood. “I am taking you to bed and I am going to fuck this glorious body,” he proclaimed, as if speaking before an assembly.

  What a nut.

  As soon as he put me down, Betra started in on kissing and caressing boobs and belly again. After a few moments of that, he stood up to peel the top of his formsuit down to his waist.

  Oh my gosh. I’d forgotten how beautiful that man is. Once again, I was reminded of how long it had been since I had last had intimacies with Betra. All at once, I knew how much I had missed him. It was good to be back.

  Betra didn’t finish disrobing. Instead, he looked at me and groaned. And it was back to slurping Shalia like an ice cream. I had no complaints at that moment, but again ... in hindsight, it was a bit much.

  When he could tear himself from me, Betra hopped about as he pulled a boot off. Then more attention was lavished on me. Then the other boot. Then more attention.

  When that crazy Imdiko got up to pull the rest of his uniform off, I said, “Would you get all the way naked, already? You’re a maniac, Betra!”

  “Hey! Since when are you in charge of sex?” he asked, finally nude for my happy contemplation. “I thought you knew who ran this show.”

  I snorted even as I reached for him. “Oses usually is too, but he’s taken a few commands from me.”

  Betra was leaning down towards my chest, ready to recommence with Breast Fest. However, my words made him pause.

  “Oses bottomed for you?” he asked. “Oses?” He looked wide-eyed at that.

  “It was a matter of our survival,” I answered. “Neither of us was crazy about it, but I guess in the right situation he’s up for that kind of thing.”

  “Really?” Betra’s gaze went far away, as if contemplating something.

  “What?” I asked. I could practically see the hamster running on the wheel in his head.

  He shook himself to come back to the here and now. “Nothing. Or maybe something. Let me think about it and we’ll see.”

  I wanted to know what that Imdiko had going on in his brain, but he re-directed his attack. Instead of going back to my boobs and stomach, Betra latched onto my pussy. That pretty much short-circuited my brain, and I forgot all about wondering why Betra would find Oses’ ability to submit so interesting. I’m pretty sure that’s what he intended.

  While licking and kissing me down there, my lover positioned himself between my legs. He propped my legs on his shoulders, lifting my hips and opening me just right. I sighed with pleasure as Betra mouthed me with exquisite thoroughness. As he did so, he gently rubbed my rounded belly. We were both getting what we liked.

  Ah, the artistry of Betra performing cunnilingus cannot be overstated. He started with gentle open-mouthed kisses, letting his tongue peek out for delicate little tastes as he did so. From there, he went to more enthusiastic mouthings. He dipped his tongue into me for a while, fucking me like that. Then he carefully inserted a finger, watching my face as it pressed in and out.

  I sighed. “I don’t know that you’ve ever been this gentle.”

  “We’re supposed to be more careful now,” he murmured. He started kissing my stomach once more as he pushed a second finger inside me. Between smooches he said, “Do you not like it? I’m still in control here.”

  “No, I like it fine,” I moaned. “I like it rough, I like it tender. I like everything you do.”

  He grinned. “Glad to hear it. I really missed you, Shalia. I was going crazy worrying about you and Oses.”

  “You didn’t give up hope?”

  “I couldn’t. It would have killed me to think you were gone forever.”

  I glanced down at him, concern filling my head despite all the yummy feelings in my body. “But one day I will be gone, you know. I’ll join a clan and this will be over.”

  Betra continued to smile, though the expression was a bit sad. “You’ll be safe though. Safe and cared for. I’ll know that, and it will make it okay.”

  I wasn’t so sure. He’d said he loved me once before, and I knew from my own heartache over Clan Dusa that such things can’t be turned off like a water spigot. Could Betra walk away when we reached Kalquor?