Sister Katherine Read online

  God, what should I do? Who is right? Are you trying to tell me something here? That perhaps you are love as I’ve always believed and not vengeful? That all the fears the Church counsels are actually the fears of small men who do not approach your greatness?

  Perhaps she was being led by the Devil. Maybe she was no better than Eve tempted by the serpent. Still, Katherine had always been sure that even the worst mistakes were forgivable by the Almighty. Even if touching Simdow was a sin, God knew what was in her heart. He knew she was looking for reassurance that her captivity would not end in utter torment.

  Either you believe what you’ve been telling others for years, or you don’t. Which God is it, Katherine? The God of your heart who taught you to love or the God you’ve been taught to fear?

  All at once, Katherine saw this for what it was. It was a test of her faith. It was time to put up or shut up, as the saying went.

  She studied Simdow’s sexes. The larger one had a tiny opening at the tip. The smaller did not. She decided the smaller one might be the safest to dare. Biting her lip, she extended a shaking finger. Just one touch to determine everything: her God versus the Church’s deity.

  I believe you love me, Lord. I believe you will forgive me this. I believe.

  The tip of her finger made contact with the tip of Simdow’s smaller member. She gasped and snatched her hand back. She looked into the Dramok’s face and waited for the worst.

  He smiled at her. “Well now. I have not become a lustful monster. I suppose you’ll have to try harder next time.”

  “You’re laughing at me.” Relief suffused Katherine’s entire being.

  Simdow grinned brightly, without malice. He was so handsome, his expression so sunny that Katherine almost had to smile back.

  He said, “Maybe a little. Your terror is not funny at all, but the idea that I can’t control myself is amusing.”

  Katherine narrowed her eyes at him. Was he challenging her? Daring her?

  Before she could think too much about what she was doing, she reached forward again and traced her fingertip down the length of the smaller cock. It jerked a little, and she jumped. This time, all three men chuckled.

  Simdow said with pride, “Welcome to your power.”

  Katherine gave him wide eyes. “My power?”

  He nodded. “Your power over me. Your touch that makes me feel so good. I would do anything to earn the reward of your touch.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded, and Katherine felt amazement. She had power over him? This big, strong Kalquorian man? It was unthinkable, and yet it was she who was touching him, making him react. Simdow simply sat there and let her do as she wished.

  His patient expression gave Katherine the courage to trace the vein on the underside of his larger cock from tip to base. It really was only skin and flesh after all. Just another part of him, the part that made him a man. It made her feel silly to have been so afraid.

  She traced back up the length of his cock and discovered a pearlescent drop of whitish fluid had formed at the opening. Katherine cocked her head inquisitively.

  “What is that?”

  “Pre-ejaculate. It shows you are making me feel very good right now.”

  “Like you want to have sex?” She paused and watched Simdow carefully.

  “I would enjoy sex, yes. But I do not have to have it, especially since you do not wish it. Please continue to touch me.”

  He lay back, relaxing with his head resting on his hands. The Dramok watched her with a lazy smile and half-hooded eyes. He showed no threat at all. Katherine kept exploring.

  She was fascinated by how rigid his sexes were. She could feel Simdow’s pulse throbbing in them, especially when she fingered the paths of his veins. The wetness that exuded from the lengths was thick and slippery. It seemed similar to what she had experienced from her own sex the night before. She was damp there again.

  Could it be possible her body was pleased as well? That it wanted sex? But that was ridiculous. For women, sex was to be endured for the purposes of bringing children into the world. It was a duty, not a joy.

  Katherine wished she knew more about such things. She felt as if she groped in a dark maze, trying to find her way out with no idea of where the passages led. She sighed. “I feel so stupid. I don’t know anything about how any of this is supposed to be.”

  Simdow reached over and combed his fingers through her hair. “You know enough to make me very glad you’re my mate.”

  She looked at him with surprise. “Really?”

  He smiled. “May I show you something else?”

  Uncertainty warred with curiosity. In the end, Katherine’s inquisitiveness and the fact the men had done nothing to harm her decided the matter. “All right.”

  Simdow took her hand, the one that had been exploring him so tentatively. He guided her so that she clutched tightly around his primary cock. He moved their grips up and down the length, occasionally squeezing at the base of him. He groaned and his head fell back, his face working with tense pleasure. Katherine watched his expression deepen with fascination.

  He rolled his head so that he faced her. His pupils had dilated so wide that she could barely make out the borders of his purple irises. He asked her, “Are you all right? Not scared?”

  “I’m fine. This feels good?”

  He chuffed a breathless laugh. “Amazing. Just – just a little more.”

  Simdow grimaced, but his gaze never left her face. Their hands worked faster on him, his slick lubricant making it easy to slide up and down with faster friction. The Dramok panted, his breaths ending in groans. His eyes glazed. Then his entire body seized, going as stiff as the flesh in Katherine’s hand. He cried out and strained hard, his butt coming up off the bed.

  Abruptly, thick pulses of white fluid erupted from his cock. Simdow shouted again. Katherine gasped. She tried to pull away at first, but his grip kept her from doing so. More heavy liquid ejected from him to spatter his belly and chest. It ran over their joined hands as well, weighted and warm.

  Little by little, Simdow relaxed. His eyes had closed, and there was such a look of euphoria on his face that Katherine wondered at the peaceful countenance. After a moment, Simdow’s eyes fluttered open and he smiled at her.

  “That was wonderful. Thank you, my Matara.”

  She tried to understand what had just happened. “Was – you were pleasured? Like sex?”

  He nodded, his lips curled with satisfaction she couldn’t imagine. “That was extremely pleasurable. You made me feel wonderful.”

  Katherine stared at the creamy substance he’d emitted. This was the stuff that gave women babies. He’d spilled it, not inside her body, but outside where she would not be hurt. He’d found his sensual bliss, but it had not involved forcing himself on her.

  Amazing.

  Vadef handed him a cleansing wipe. Before swabbing himself, Simdow scrubbed Katherine’s hand and fingers, removing all traces of his seed from her skin. Only when she was clean did he attend to himself.

  Katherine looked away to see Vadef and Miv were also cleansing themselves of evidence of sexual release. She was startled to realize they too had found pleasure, without her doing anything at all to relieve them. She hadn’t even realized they’d done so. Her attention had been taken up with the amazing spectacle of Simdow’s climax.

  Her stomach felt funny, stranger than ever with a nearly violent roiling sensation. Katherine had an urge she couldn’t name, a strange feeling that she needed something. What that was, she couldn’t imagine. She felt achy and excited and anxious all at once. It was as if she was just on the verge of some great epiphany, but the means to reach it eluded her.

  Confused and feeling somewhat overwrought, she looked back to Simdow. Her eyes met his.

  His face still soft with contentment, he said, “There. That is your power over us. You didn’t even have to touch Miv or Vadef to make them feel good. Nor did they touch you. No real evil was committed.”

&
nbsp; She blinked. She tried to find some way to answer him, but with all the stunning revelations she’d experienced and the chaos that continued in her body, all she could say was, “Oh.”

  Katherine wasn’t sure what to think except that all three men looked very happy with her. She wasn’t even quite sure exactly what it was they had just done, but it seemed nothing bad had come of it. Not only that, but the sense of approval she got from them, for some reason she couldn’t fathom, made her feel good.

  * * * *

  Simdow watched Katherine’s expressions as they ranged far and wide. She was obviously confused and off balance with having gone from absolute terror to curiosity to a modicum of acceptance. More than anything, he was relieved that she no longer seemed afraid of them. She was uncertain, but not petrified. Not crying.

  From the darkness of her eyes, the quick rise and fall of her breasts, plus the undeniable aroma wafting from her, she had become aroused. That above all gave the Dramok hope.

  Before he could decide what to do with her awakened desires, Vadef’s com went off. The growly tones of Nobek Lidon issued from it. “Weapons Commander to Records Officer Vadef.”

  Vadef rolled off the sleeping mat and located his personal unit quickly. “Vadef here, sir.”

  “I need you to report to your duty station as soon as possible.”

  Vadef’s expression registered his disappointment, but he sounded nothing but respectful and professional. “Yes, Weapons Commander. I’ll be there soon.”

  Simdow motioned to be given the com, and Vadef handed it over. The first officer swallowed the intimidation he always felt when dealing with Lidon. Pretending he actually believed in the higher rank he held he said, “First Officer Simdow, Weapons Commander.”

  “Yes, Commander?”

  “We have a Matara who needs one of her clanmates to attend her. I am required on the bridge in less than an hour, so I need you to clear Ensign Miv from duty for first shift.”

  The elder warrior’s voice was expressionless. “I understand. I will see to that matter immediately.”

  “Thank you, Weapons Commander.” Simdow clicked off and gave the com to Vadef. With a sigh, he got up and rummaged in the closet, getting out uniforms for them both.

  Vadef grinned at him. “Nicely done. You’re getting good at this.”

  Simdow shook his head. “If you had any idea how hard it is to order that one to do anything, you’d be speechless with admiration. Nobek Lidon still scares the hell out of me.”

  “But you do outrank him.”

  “Not by much,” Miv said. He remained seated on the bed, rubbing Katherine’s feet. She seemed to be enjoying the attention, Simdow noted. She remained watchful, but a slight smile curved her lips as she watched the other two dress.

  Miv continued. “The weapons commander is smart, brutal, and could break a normal man in two, I think. If I could be half the Nobek he is, I’d be doing well.”

  Simdow smiled at Katherine’s momentarily contented gaze. Speaking in her language he said, “It seems we have our orders for the day, my Matara. Miv will care for you while Vadef and I work.”

  Vadef patted Miv on the shoulder as he passed by, searching for his boots. “Remember to take her to Dr. Degorsk at the appointed time.”

  Miv groaned. “I forgot about that.”

  Katherine said, “You don’t have to.”

  Simdow gave Miv a pretend glower, knowing his Nobek would not shy away from what needed to be done. “Yes, he does. And he’ll be very patient and laugh at the doctor’s jokes.”

  Miv returned the scowl. “Why am I being punished?”

  Vadef laughed. “Dr. Degorsk is Weapons Commander Lidon’s clanmate. That should stand for something.”

  Miv sighed. “It just illustrates that even the best Nobek is not perfect.” He looked glum at the prospect of dealing with the strange humor of the ship’s head medic. “If he will make my Katherine feel better, than I will put up with him.”

  “Good.” Simdow leaned down and surprised Katherine by pressing his mouth to hers in a quick, chaste buss. She didn’t return the kiss, but she touched her fingertips to her lips afterwards, her eyes wide as she looked up at him.

  No fear. They had made a good start with her, he thought.

  The Dramok told Katherine, “I will see about getting a vid link set up so you can talk to your younglings.”

  Her sudden hopeful smile, radiant beyond any sun Simdow had ever seen, made his heart beat hard. He swallowed and stepped back, swamped by strong emotion. No one noticed his startled reaction because Vadef chose that moment to step forward and quickly drop a kiss on her smiling lips. Again Katherine appeared too surprised to return the kiss.

  Her eyes had gone wide again, her expression that of an innocent. She was perhaps the most naive creature Simdow had ever come across.

  How was Simdow to keep such a blameless soul from turmoil? How could his clan adequately care for and protect someone as ingenuous as Katherine?

  He strongly suspected he was not equal to the task. Yet he could not bear the thought of failing her in any way. The responsibility was like the weight of the Empire had been dumped squarely on his shoulders. The ferocity of his emotions stunned him, and Simdow left the room abruptly to keep anyone from seeing his confusion.

  * * * *

  Vadef left a couple minutes after Simdow. Miv was now alone with Katherine, a state that excited and frightened him.

  He gave her the best smile he could manage. “Now I almost wish I was leaving so I could beg a kiss as well.”

  She turned a delicate pink. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her sweet embarrassment.

  Katherine told him, “It is the strangest thing. I have gotten kisses from my parents and the children, but they were nothing like those from Simdow and Vadef. They felt different, though they weren’t. Not really.”

  Moving slow so as to not frighten Katherine, Miv slid closer so that they could have kissed had he been bold enough to try. He almost had to laugh at himself. Here he was, as good a fighter as any that stepped into the circle these days, a man who had killed for the honor of family and Empire. Yet the idea of trying to approach this lovely slip of a female and offer her tenderness filled him with consternation as nothing else did. He, a fierce and proud Nobek, shook inside at the mere presence of Katherine.

  He looked at the too-thin but still desirable body next to his. By the ancestors, she was grace personified, a precious wisp next to his hulking frame. No wonder she trembled at his nearness. How could she not be afraid of a scarred beast like himself? Perhaps it was too much to ask that she would someday invite him to give her enjoyment, to share her body without reservation. Yet Miv could not have her any other way, not after what happened to his sister Ensab.

  The fresh, musky scent of feminine arousal came from Katherine. The clan’s careful play had awoken something in her, something that drove back her fears enough for her to have found at least a little excitement. Yet she was still too much afraid of Miv to succumb to such urges. So though renewed ardor made his cocks twitch in hopeful interest, he ignored it.

  He concentrated on her reaction to being kissed by his clanmates. “Of course they felt different. Those kisses were between men and the woman they are devoted to. My kiss would not feel like those of your family and little ones either for the same reason.”

  Katherine’s brow creased with suspicion. “How can you be devoted to me? We don’t know each other.”

  Miv smiled. Had he ever known anyone so innocent of the interactions between men and women? “It does not matter. You are now the center of our world. I have accepted you as my Matara, the woman I devote my life to protecting.”

  Her frown deepened. “You would protect me from yourself? Kalquor is my only enemy, you know.”

  “You do not need protection from me. I would never see you harmed.” Miv restrained the urge to stroke the frown from her face. Until she wished or required it, he would not touch her.

  Instead, he
invited, “Tell me how it feels different from the others when you kiss one of us.”

  She swallowed. Katherine looked at him worriedly, as if expecting his anger, but she answered. “Well, it – it – quite honestly, it makes me feel sick.”

  Miv’s heart plummeted to hear her words. Dismay filled him to know they disgusted her that much.

  Apparently his consternation showed and touched the gentle Earther’s heart, because she suddenly became eager to soothe him. “I’m sure it’s not all to do with you as people. It’s probably more a symptom of the stress of my situation. Or maybe it’s just whatever is wrong with my stomach.”

  He had to force himself to not reach for her again. It was difficult to not try to physically comfort her. “Is it hurting you right now?”

  Katherine shook her head. “No. It usually hurts right after I eat. Right now I just feel all squirmy and hot low in my guts. Even a little ticklish. Like my stomach is trying to twist itself around or something. I can’t explain it. I’ve never felt it before.”

  Squirmy and hot down low? Miv blinked at the description. It almost sounded like arousal, which would match the scent coming off her.

  Could she really be that naive to not know what sexual excitement felt like? Miv looked into the guileless blue eyes peering up at him. Mother of All, he thought she might.

  He tried for a reassuring smile. “Perhaps it is nothing to be concerned with. It sounds a little like nerves, so you may be right that you are simply responding to the situation you find yourself in.”

  Katherine nodded. “A stress reaction makes the most sense. Darci – that’s one of my girls – vomits sometimes when she gets around Sister Bernadette in a bad mood.” She sighed. “I hope Simdow will be able to allow me to com them. I miss them so much.”

  “I have no doubt he will do his best. He realizes how important it is to you. Shall I have breakfast sent to us? Something soft that might not irritate your stomach so much?”