Michaela Page 7

  The night was cool, but the Kalquorians steered the two women towards the outdoor dining area of the restaurant. Michaela didn’t mind, not with the beautiful scenery of Plasius’ second sun setting, turning the sky a stunning lavender-streaked purple. A massive firepit in the center of the dining area was in full flame, sending warmth out in all directions and making the stone-walled area cozy. As usual, Govi had to take a picture of it. The man was a fiend for snapshots.

  Michaela’s nose twitched at the scent of food wafting her way. Her dance rehearsal with Jessica had been strenuous, and she was ready to pig out. She hoped Clan Korkla had plenty of credit for the amount of eating she wanted to do.

  A stone arch marked the entrance to the outdoor dining area. Govi tugged Michaela towards it. “The service here is good. You don’t have to wait long for your food.”

  That made Michaela’s yawning pit of a stomach happy. The faster she could shovel calories in, the happier she was going to be.

  Behind her, Raxstad snickered. “A smart business practice, considering how the Plasians are.”

  Lighting globes were tethered over each table, but there were plenty of shadowed spaces dotting the courtyard-like area. The occasional moan could be heard from the darkest corners. Some of the amorous race were enjoying more carnal treats, Michaela thought.

  Govi laughed quietly. He said, “If they have to wait too long, baser appetites take hold.” The next moment, he stopped short. “That’s not a good sign.”

  Everyone looked in the direction of his gaze. In the flickering firelight and muted glow of the sky and globes, Michaela saw a lone Kalquorian sitting near the firepit. On his table sat a glass and the biggest bottle of booze she’d ever seen. The solitary Kalquorian had already made quite a dent in its rust-colored contents. More than half had been consumed.

  Jessica said, “Is that Prince Egilka?”

  The royal had an expression that could have been either anger or misery. “He doesn’t look very happy,” Michaela said, feeling like an idiot for stating the obvious. Yet she’d seen that expression in the mirror before. Someone needed to check on the upset Imdiko prince.

  She saw the worry in Korkla and Govi’s exchanged looks. “Do you want to make sure he’s okay?” she prodded them.

  Korkla seemed relieved that she understood. “If you don’t mind. Thank you.”

  The Dramok released her hand to lead them to the prince’s table. Sharp-featured Egilka noted their approach and drained his glass, as if he needed the strength for the coming conversation. His eyes were hectic as he noticed his fellow Kalquorians first.

  “Hello Korkla, Govi, Raxstad,” he said in a bereft yet familiar tone. Then he noticed Michaela and Jessica. His voice went harsh. “Both of them?”

  Raxstad had moved to Michaela’s side, and she felt the massive Nobek stiffen. His hand lightly touched her back, as if to apologize for the disdainful curl of Prince Egilka’s lips as he looked the women over.

  Korkla reddened a little, as if touched by anger. His tone remained respectful, however. “Jessica is our chaperone this evening, my prince.”

  Michaela was shaken by the apparent dislike on the Imdiko’s face. She’d have thought it might be because of her freakish body, except Egilka looked at Jessica the same way.

  She leaned to whisper in her friend’s ear. “What do you think is wrong with him? Besides the drinking.”

  In an equally low tone, Jessica murmured, “Bevau said he and Clajak had an argument.”

  Egilka’s glare froze Michaela before she could ask what the princes’ disagreement had been about. Even though the Imdiko’s anger seemed to be directed at Jessica, Michaela hardly dared to breathe.

  Egilka’s tone was equally icy. “Apparently, you’re not aware of the excellence of Kalquorian hearing. What were you doing with Bevau, Earther?”

  Jessica didn’t seem impressed with his withering tone. “The better question is, what didn’t I do with him? For your information, he was quite happy with my company. Whatever your issues, don’t take them out on me, Kalquorian.”

  Govi put his hand on Jessica’s shoulder to quiet her. In a diplomatic tone, he asked, “Is there anything we can do to help you, my prince?”

  Egilka stopped staring at Jessica. He poured himself another drink with an unsteady hand. Angst peeked out once more through his ire. “They took my funding away. All my work is dead. Now I’m supposed to happily hand over the future of our people to her and those like her.” His aggrieved look went to Jessica once more.

  Michaela couldn’t imagine why the prince’s animosity was directed at Jessica. She looked at her friend to see her reaction.

  Jessica’s elfin face was wreathed in the sweetest smile imaginable. Michaela knew that look for what it was: trouble. Big trouble. Jessica’s formidable temper had come to full boil, and she was about to get nasty. Michaela knew nothing stopped that woman once she got rolling.

  She groaned, “Oh shit,” and braced herself.

  In a voice that would have charmed the Holy Leader out of his white robes, Jessica said, “Prince Egilka? Are all your kind assholes, with a few like Bevau the exception to the rule?”

  Egilka stared at Jessica with his mouth hanging wide open. Michaela’s heart sank as her friend turned to her, blue eyes sparking with fury. “Sorry, Michaela. I’m not sticking around to be insulted by this gurluck. Have a nice dinner.”

  Jessica swung around and stormed out of the courtyard. Michaela noted that now all four men stared after Jessica with their mouths gaping in shock. It would have been funny except Egilka’s face had gone almost as purple as his eyes. Michaela saw that the Imdiko prince was furious.

  His fangs unhinged, peeking out from behind his regular teeth. “Did that little – did she just call me—?”

  Korkla’s cry of, “My prince, wait,” went ignored. Egilka was out of his chair and racing from the courtyard in an instant, his long ponytail streaming behind him like a war banner.

  Michaela stared after him. Was he chasing Jessica? Worried for her friend and the prince’s state of mind, she asked, “Should we go after them?”

  Korkla’s clan looked uncertainly at each other. Raxstad came to a quick decision. “I’ll make sure it’s all right.”

  He hurried off. Meanwhile, two Plasian males had already begun cleaning the table Egilka had been sitting at. They smilingly indicated Korkla’s party should use it.

  The Dramok shrugged at Govi and Michaela. “I guess we may as well sit down. It’s a good spot near the firepit. You are warm enough, aren’t you?” He drew out a chair for Michaela, which Govi guided her into.

  “I’m fine, thanks.” She shook her head over the recent drama. “Jessica and that temper. She’s the best friend anyone could have, but make her mad and you’d better look out. What’s a gurluck anyway? Is it bad?”

  Govi coughed as he sat down on one side of her. Korkla sat on the other side. He started laughing hard. After a moment, Govi joined him.

  After a couple of seconds, Korkla recovered from the hilarity. “It is very bad, little one. It refers to a man who forces himself on his mother. You can’t get uglier than that.”

  As Michaela digested that, Raxstad returned. He smiled at her, but it was a tight expression. “No sign of either of them. I’m sure it will be all right.”

  Govi snickered, still amused. “Even drunk, Prince Egilka would never harm a woman. Nothing could be farther from his nature. Even one that called him what Jessica just did couldn’t convince him to seek retribution.”

  Raxstad snorted at the humor of the situation. “I doubt Egilka has ever been called that. Did you see the look on his face?”

  The men were overcome with another round of chuckles. Their expressions moved between disbelieving horror and amusement.

  Korkla chortled, “Not even Clajak has ever shocked him so badly.”

  Michaela remained worried for Jessica. “You don’t think he’ll do anything bad to Jessica, do you? He looked pretty mad.”

/>   Korkla patted her hand. “At the worst, he might spank her. Nothing any more extreme than that.”

  Michaela’s jaw dropped. “A spanking? She’s not a child.”

  Raxstad crooked an eyebrow. “She misbehaves like one. If I was Egilka, that’s how I would handle her. A good bare-handed spanking until her bottom turns red would cool some of that fire.”

  He said it like it was the most reasonable solution in the world. Looking at the burly Nobek, Michaela visualized herself laid over his meaty thighs, his huge hand coming down on her naked ass. Her cock twitched as her pussy tickled to life.

  What the hell?

  Trying to distract herself from the image in her head, Michaela said, “So, here we are with no chaperone after all.”

  Korkla nodded. “So it would seem.” He looked to the clan’s Imdiko. “Shall we have dinner anyway?”

  “I suppose it’s all right.” Govi gave Raxstad a mock-severe glare. “Are you in control of your lusts, my Nobek?”

  “Put food in front of me, and I suppose I’ll be sufficiently distracted for a few minutes.” Raxstad grinned at Michaela.

  She returned the leer, but she felt shaky. She couldn’t get the thought of Raxstad spanking her out of her head. The intersex had no doubt her skirt was tented beneath the concealment of the table they sat at. Why was the idea of corporeal punishment turning her on?

  Fortunately, a Plasian came to collect their food order. Michaela concentrated on that, making note as well of what the men ordered. She was hungry anyway, and anticipating her meal helped quell her ridiculous libido. By the time the waiter moved away, she felt in control once more.

  Govi turned his attention to her. “Michaela, I’m curious. How did you escape discovery on Earth? How did it happen you were delivered by a doctor who didn’t expose your existence?”

  Michaela took a sip of the shel the waiter had brought to their table before answering. “My parents were relief workers, and they were stationed on the island of Haiti after two hurricanes blew through within a couple of weeks of each other. The devastation was so bad, they lived there for several years.”

  “From what I’ve been able to learn, hermaphroditism can be caused by genetic factors. It’s rare everywhere, but it happened in this one village often enough that intersex people there were called ‘the third gender’. Many villagers accepted it without prejudice. They considered it their duty to hide such people from the government as a way to reject the Church’s edict to euthanize them. Haiti was no friend of the government. I was lucky to be born there.”

  “Lucky indeed,” Korkla said. “I can hardly believe they would execute people for being born a certain way.”

  Michaela took another sip of her drink. It was only the second time she’d shared her story. Until now, only Jessica had known the full tale. It was hard to talk about, even though she knew it was safe to do so. “The doctor who delivered me had concealed the births of three other intersexes during his tenure, all born to the same family.”

  “So there are more like you. You are not quite the rarity you claim to be,” Korkla said.

  Michaela shook her head. “Even among the intersex, I’m an oddity. Most have the characteristics of one sex in particular and partial characteristics of the other. In history, there are rumors but no documented cases of someone with fully formed and functioning male and female genitalia. I’m the only one.”

  Raxstad grinned. “That is amazing. And we are the ones who have found you.”

  He seemed genuinely pleased by that. He had the air of a man who’d won the lottery. Michaela found his attitude amazing. She was no prize by any means.

  Govi brought her back to the conversation. “You were safe on this island of Haiti?”

  “For the most part. My parents did all in their power to keep us there, but when I was seven, the aid projects to Haiti ended. We had no choice but to return to the North American Bloc, where my father was from.”

  The food arrived, postponing conversation for a little while. For all the talk about Raxstad’s appetite, Michaela expected the Nobek to start shoveling food into his maw like an animal. Instead, he startled her by plucking a small morsel of meat and cheese from her plate and feeding it to her.

  “My goodness. What’s this?” she asked before accepting the bite.

  Govi grinned at her. “You might find it odd, but it’s Kalquorian tradition for the men of a clan to feed their Matara. You are not part of our clan, but it is our pleasure to serve you in that way.”

  Michaela chewed the delicious food, fighting to keep her mouth closed around the smile that wanted to break through. As soon as she swallowed, she asked. “Really? Are you serious? You feed your women?”

  Korkla took a turn offering her another taste. “We do. It denotes respect and our commitment to taking care of her every need. The Matara is the center of the clan.”

  Michaela couldn’t help but giggle. “I feel like a princess. Your women are lucky.”

  Govi chuckled as he gave her the next bite. “I’m glad you think so. We weren’t sure how you would take it. Some of the Earther women who have come to Kalquor seem to find it demeaning.”

  Michaela snorted. “Are you kidding? Three gorgeous men feeding me? What’s demeaning about that?”

  They chuckled at that. They continued to wait on her, and she continued to enjoy it.

  After a little while, Korkla went back to their earlier conversation. “How hard was it for you to keep hidden when you left Haiti?”

  Michaela said, “It wasn’t bad, at least not at first. The people of the town I was born in, the ones who knew about me, helped to coach me on keeping my true nature hidden. One of the elders was intersex, and he was respected by everyone. They had me well trained by the time I left.”

  Govi prodded, “You said you were raised male.”

  “My parents decided to raise me as a boy right away, since boys had so much more freedom than girls. I identified as female early on, though. It was difficult to deny that part of myself. Then when puberty hit, I got these.” She waved at her chest. “I had to bind my breasts flat to keep up the hoax. My parents decided it was too dangerous for me to keep going to school. We were terrified something would happen that would lead to my dual nature being discovered. My mother taught me at home.”

  “I hated it this morning when you concealed these. They are lovely.” Raxstad reached for Michaela’s breasts with a naughty grin.

  Korkla smacked the Nobek’s hand away with a warning look. The clan’s leader scowled at Raxstad’s snicker. He resumed a gentle smile for Michaela. “Were you able to ever tell any of your friends on Earth about who you really were?”

  Michaela shrugged, pretending it wasn’t a big deal. “After Haiti, I had no friends. I didn’t dare trust anyone with my secret.”

  Govi gave her a wretched expression, as if her solitude hurt him. “How lonely you must have been.”

  She swallowed and shook her head at another bite Korkla offered. The conversation had killed off her appetite. “Once my parents died, I didn’t have anyone. At least not until after I was marooned on Plasius. I met Jessica shortly after that, and we’ve been close ever since. She’s never judged me for being intersex.”

  Raxstad cocked his head, looking bemused. “You didn’t know her on the ship? It feels like you two are old friends.”

  Michaela shook her head. “I think our desperate desire to escape Earth and being the only women of our kind here has kind of intensified our bond. Now I can’t imagine my life without having Jess around. Before we got stuck on Plasius, I kept to myself. I didn’t dare reveal who I really was to anyone until I knew I was safe.”

  The Nobek pursed his lips. “You weren’t examined when you became a part of the military? I was under the impression there was some sort of physical testing when a person joined your fleet.”

  Michaela smirked. “There would have been once I enlisted as an adult. As a junior serviceman, I was allowed to have a doctor of my choosing sen
d in a certification of physical health. When I contacted the doctor who’d delivered me in Haiti and told him I wanted to join the space fleet in hopes of escaping Earth, he gave me the necessary documentation. It was hard to keep my secret during training since I was housed in a barracks, but I managed.” Michaela took a large swallow of shel. “I figured I’d get found out sooner or later no matter what I did. It was worth the risk to attempt disappearing on some other planet.”

  Korkla took her hand and pressed it to his lips. He gave her that warm smile that transformed his angular face into something beyond beautiful. Michaela’s breath stopped to have that expression directed at her.

  He said, “I’m glad you made it, little one. You don’t have to hide or be who you aren’t any longer. Appear male if it pleases you, but don’t do it because anyone else prefers it. On Plasius and Kalquor, you can be assured those days are past.”

  “That’s true. I can openly be a freak—”

  Michaela’s voice died at the thunderous expressions that masked the Kalquorians’ faces. A thrill of terror ran through her as the men stared her down.

  Raxstad spoke first. “Do you remember how I said if I were Egilka, I’d spank Jessica? You are going to receive firsthand knowledge of such an experience if that word leaves your mouth again.”

  Michaela gasped as every hair on her body rose. “You can’t do that,” she said.

  Korkla’s brow arched. He somehow managed to look angry and amused at the same time. “As this clan’s disciplinarian, Raxstad is quite capable of wearing your lovely little ass out. And if he doesn’t, I will. Consider this our final warning about calling yourself a freak, Michaela.”

  Trying to ignore the bizarre pulse of passion filling her loins and scarcely believing they would threaten to spank her ... to actually spank her ... Michaela looked to Govi for help. She found he watched her carefully, gauging her reaction to the threat.