Michaela Read online

  Today however, Michaela’s thoughts were far from Israla’s kindnesses. She couldn’t make herself concentrate on her steps either as she rehearsed. It didn’t matter that the Coming of Age Festival, which she and Jessica had agreed to dance at, was only a few days away. Instead, Michaela kept thinking about Clan Korkla.

  She didn’t want to think about the three alien men. They were the last people she wanted on her mind, yet they refused to stay out of her head. As a result, her dance moves were hectic instead of seductive. In the mirrors, Michaela looked more like she challenged someone to fight instead of entreating them to fuck her.

  It was no wonder. Last night had left her angry and hurt and frustrated. Michaela couldn’t figure out what Korkla, Govi, and Raxstad were about. They seemed to want her, but they wouldn’t do more than tease. Govi in particular drove her crazy with his caution.

  If only they’d ignore her fears and fuck her! Sure, she was scared. Michaela had admitted that to them. She was terrified, not simply because it would be her first time, but because she worried that her freakish body would somehow betray her. Or, even worse, the men would discover they were revolted by her after all.

  Yet Michaela knew that until they crossed that barrier, she would remain frightened. Nothing but committing the act of sex would remove the fear. Until fucking happened, terror would remain.

  The only thing that kept her sane right now was that the clan kept coming around to see her. That meant they were at least still curious, if not outright serious. Yet they refused to do the one thing that would show Michaela they truly wanted her, that she didn’t disgust them.

  As she thought these many thoughts, she moved in a frenzy across the floor. Michaela had been dancing nonstop for over an hour now, yet she could not manage to lose herself in the steps as she usually did. She panted, exhausted from pushing herself so hard. Yet frustration wouldn’t ease for a moment. Her thoughts refused to stop chasing around her head.

  It didn’t help that Korkla had left a message on her com first thing this morning. It had been the sound of the device going off that had woken Michaela. The Dramok’s careful voice telling her she had to meet with his clan and discuss the issues of the night before sparked her anger.

  Her hips gyrating violently, Michaela yelled to the mirrored room, “You idiots! The issue is you want to talk rather than do! If you want me, show me!”

  The outburst did her in. Michaela’s legs folded beneath her, trembling and weak. She dropped to the floor, heaving for breath. Michaela rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.

  How could she make this happen? How could she attract and keep those three wonderful but reluctant men? Or should she give up now before they damaged her pride any further?

  Michaela unleashed a grief-filled moan, feeling the impossibility of the situation. If only she was a real woman. There were no real miracles in the universe, so that would never happen. She thought that until she could figure out a way to make Clan Korkla hers, there was no point in seeing them again.

  * * * *

  Raxstad sighed and kicked the table that sat before the lounger he perched on. “So. She’s avoiding us again. Isn’t that just wonderful.”

  He scowled, knowing the expression made his rough features more bestial than usual. He didn’t care. He felt like an animal. He wanted to tear apart ... something. Anything. It made him furious that the clan had failed to make Michaela feel secure. Yet he couldn’t figure out for the life of him what it would take to convince her she belonged with them.

  Govi said in his most diplomatic tone, “We know she has to practice for her dance for the festival in a few days. Israla’s aide said that’s where she’s been.”

  Raxstad frowned. He wasn’t buying the excuse. Michaela had been angry the night before, and he felt her unhappiness was perfectly justified. They should have fucked her. She’d wanted it.

  Okay, so she had some issues with her desirability, and the Nobek was willing to admit he wasn’t on solid ground where that was concerned. In the first place, he couldn’t figure out why Michaela didn’t understand her own allure. How could she not know she was the most astounding person he’d ever met? Hadn’t he and his clan told her? Hadn’t he been up front about how damned excited she got him? Hadn’t he fought with Govi in front of her about how much he wanted her? So Michaela should have figured out she was all Raxstad wanted in a Matara clanmate. He couldn’t have been clearer about it if he’d painted it on the side of Israla’s mansion in giant letters.

  Korkla had left messages on her room’s com unit. Four messages. Four fucking messages and Michaela had yet to answer any. Was the little Earther pouting or was she truly mad?

  Either way, she was being hard to get along with, though that did nothing to cool Raxstad’s ardor for her. Funny enough, he found her flashes of temper every bit as arousing as when Michaela was in a sweeter frame of mind. He imagined fucking her while she beat her tiny fists against his chest and shouted profanity at him. Better still if she clawed at him with her long fingernails. The Nobek liked it rough. He had an idea Michaela could deliver plenty of the more physical kind of fucking he preferred.

  His cocks jerked at the idea. By the ancestors, Raxstad wanted Michaela with near desperation. He wished Govi would pronounce her stable enough for him to bring the intersex to screaming pleasure. If his Imdiko would simply relent enough for Raxstad to prove to his enticing boy-woman how much he revered her!

  Trying to sound more reasonable than he felt, Raxstad said, “She may never believe we want her until we prove it with sex. Has that occurred to you, Govi?”

  Govi smiled, but Raxstad saw how concern creased the corners of his eyes. He knew his Imdiko worried himself to shreds over Michaela, second-guessing every move they made with her. It was why the Nobek continued to listen to him.

  Govi said, “I have thought of that. But until I’m sure, it’s not worth the risk. Can you imagine making love to Michaela only to have her crying in your arms or struggling to escape because she’s hurting and terrified?”

  Raxstad swallowed at the image his clanmate’s words brought. He most certainly didn’t want such a scenario to occur. The thought of it helped to dampen his ardor.

  Korkla ceased the pacing he’d been doing for much of the day, stopping in front of Raxstad. “The Earther women’s problems are so new to us. Govi has never encountered a species that despises itself as thoroughly as this one, and Michaela’s case is worse than most. I know you are impatient for her, my Nobek, but Govi is dealing with this as best he knows.”

  “I realize that. And I do not doubt you, my Imdiko.” He smiled at his stunning clanmate, letting Govi know just how dear to him he was. Seeing that beautiful face smile back at him made Raxstad’s heart thump a little harder.

  The Nobek told his clanmates, “Still, I am drawn so strongly to be with her in every way possible. She needs my protection. Your care. Korkla’s guidance. How can we prove this to her?”

  Govi sighed tiredly. “We persist in our pursuit. It may be a matter of wearing her down, which will take time.”

  Korkla regarded them both with pleasure, a surprise considering they were being thwarted by a stubborn little Earther. His question told Raxstad why the Dramok had found a reason to be happy.

  “We are in agreement Michaela is to be our Matara then?”

  Raxstad blinked. By the ancestors, they were discussing that matter in a roundabout way, weren’t they? He was a little surprised to note that the conclusion Michaela belonged to them had snuck in without his noticing it. Yet she seemed so right, even with her reluctance to play nice.

  His heart full, Raxstad said with conviction, “Without a doubt. She is the only one of her kind, a treasure even if I didn’t—”

  He stopped for an instant. He had damned near said he loved Michaela. Which was impossible, given the few brief times he’d actually enjoyed her presence.

  Yet there was no doubt the Earther made his heart ache and his entire being come al
ive just by thinking of her. It was the same way he felt about Govi and Korkla when he stopped to think about it.

  Raxstad ended his statement with the lame-sounding “I want no other, my Dramok. She is the only Matara for me.”

  Govi nodded, his lovely face intent. “Michaela tears at my heart. She already owns it, my clanmates. I know my breed feels more intensely than either of yours. It’s no surprise I am terribly infatuated at the least.”

  Korkla smiled at him. “It’s not just because you’re an Imdiko, Govi.” He chuckled. “Why do I feel that if Michaela had the slightest inkling of the power she wields over us, we would be in trouble?”

  Raxstad had more important things on his mind than worrying over how Michaela might use her attractiveness to get what she wanted. As far as he was concerned, she could have anything in his power to give.

  Impatiently he asked, “Can we please search her out? Make her listen to us? I have this terrible idea she’s hiding from us, thinking of herself as an unlovable freak once more. We need to prove she isn’t, somehow.”

  Govi urged, “We have to be careful how we handle this.”

  Raxstad narrowed his eyes at his Imdiko. “I am not a mindless animal determined to rut, you know. Just because I want to show her she’s desirable doesn’t mean I’m talking about fucking her.”

  “I know, my Nobek. It’s just that we have a tendency to lose control around Michaela.”

  Korkla said in a hopeful voice, “If we find she is feeling doubts about herself, maybe we could offer a little encouragement that we find her perfect? Something like what happened in the garden?”

  Raxstad seized on his Dramok’s idea. “Surely that’s not going too far?”

  Govi sucked on his lower lip as he considered. Damn it, he knew how delicious Raxstad found that quirk. Thinking about Michaela already had the Nobek’s body on edge; Govi didn’t need to add to the torment.

  Raxstad already had the perfect Imdiko and Dramok for his desires. Adding Michaela would only make his world that much better.

  Govi stopped unconsciously driving his clanmate crazy. The perfectly shaped lip was released, allowing him to say in a hesitant voice, “Maybe we can indulge in heavy petting. I don’t know for sure. The reassurance might help, but then it might frighten her too.” He squared his shoulders and nodded to his clanmates. “We can try it, but if she reacts negatively—”

  “We stop immediately,” Korkla assured him. “We will offer a taste of our affections only.”

  “If we can get her to see us,” Raxstad grumbled. Now that he knew he had Govi’s leave to at least play with Michaela a little, the fact that she wouldn’t come near them made him grouchy again.

  Govi was deep in thought once more, biting that luscious lip instead of sucking it this time. It was almost as groin provoking. Then again, Govi looked stunning sitting around and picking his toenails. The bastard was too gorgeous.

  Then he said words that made Raxstad adore him all the more. “Bring a field disruptor, Raxstad. We do need to speak with Michaela at the very least.”

  Putting a hand over his heart, Raxstad said with great feeling, “My Imdiko, have I told you lately how I am privileged to be your clanmate?”

  Govi and Korkla chuckled at him. Grinning broadly, the Nobek went to rummage through his belongings to find the device that would give them access to Michaela’s quarters. Locked in or not, she was about to face the clan. Raxstad was determined that they would somehow make her see sense.

  * * * *

  Michaela drowsed in the warm, gentle roil of the waterfall-fed basin in her quarters. She’d wasted no time stripping and stepping into the relaxing pool for a bath following her demanding dance practice. She sank in up to her chin, letting the burbling water ease the knots from her tense muscles.

  The foaming water seemed to seep into her pores, chasing out the angst to be drawn into the re-circulating drain. Bit by bit, Michaela let her thoughts drift into nothingness. Her eyelids drooped and then closed.

  She teetered on the verge of sleep when the door announce chimed. In her confused state, she forgot that she had planned not to answer any summons. She sat up and called, “Who is it?”

  The deep voice that answered felt like silk against her ears. It drew ticklish warmth from her lower parts. “Korkla, Govi, and Raxstad.”

  Michaela woke all the way. To herself she muttered, “Fuck.” The men knew she was in.

  Too bad for them. She’d made her decision and she would stick with it. In a voice already filling with her re-awakened temper, she loudly ordered, “Go away.”

  “Michaela, we need to talk.”

  “Not now. I’ll get back to you.” To herself she added, “When Hell freezes over.”

  “Michaela, open the door.”

  There was command in Korkla’s voice, a note that made Michaela instinctively start to comply. That she’d nearly obeyed him without thought pissed her off even more.

  Making herself settle back in the basin, she yelled, “I said no! I have nothing to say to you right now. I don’t know how to make that any plainer to you, Korkla. Oh wait, yes I do. Fuck off!”

  Silence followed her furious rant. Michaela looked toward the door, wondering if the clan had left. The thought made her guts squeeze tight.

  I shouldn’t have gone that far. I shouldn’t have said it like that. Stupid! But damn it, they hurt me first. They’re just stringing me along. They don’t want me after all. They see me as nothing more than a potential incubator for their babies. Well, I may be a freak, but I’m also a decent person. I deserve more—

  Her thoughts broke off as the door suddenly hummed opened. Michaela gaped as Raxstad stalked in, followed by the other two men.

  They froze when they caught sight of her in the basin. The three men looked nothing alike, but they appeared identical in that moment with their eyes growing large and round and their mouths dropping open in shock. Michaela stared back for a few seconds before she remembered she was naked. She drew her legs up to her chest, trying to hide her nudity.

  “Get out,” she said. She’d intended her order to come out strong and certain. Instead, her voice trembled, barely louder than a whisper.

  The men exchanged looks. Then Korkla stepped forward to lead and the other two followed him right to the edge of the basin. The darkness in their eyes made Michaela edge back.

  The commanding tone remained in Korkla’s voice. “You’re going to talk to us.”

  Michaela swallowed. It was on the tip of her tongue to agree, but the scary-exciting way the three men looked at her kept her from doing so. Instead she quavered, “I’m taking a bath.”

  The stupidity of her statement made her mad all over again. Idiot, they can see perfectly well you’re taking a bath. What the fuck is wrong with you? she silently berated herself.

  The Kalquorians didn’t move. They just stood there, staring at Michaela. The crotches of those deliciously skin-tight formsuits bulged, displaying arousal. The aliens were visibly tense, as if on the verge of springing at her. Even Govi looked dangerous at that moment. Fear and need mixed in a crazy-making stew in Michaela’s gut.

  Speaking with a firmness she didn’t feel, she said, “Leave.”

  Korkla folded his arms over his chest, finally breaking the spell of shock. “No.”

  Michaela gathered her sense of insult to strengthen her resolve. After all, she’d made it plain that she wanted them, yet they refused to have her. The rejection stung anew, and she let her temper rise.

  “Yes you will leave and you will do so right now. I am not playing these games with you three. Get out and leave the freak alone.”

  Michaela never saw Raxstad move. One moment she huddled in the basin, shielding her body from the men’s sight. The next, a brawny arm slung around her waist and hauled her out of the water.

  “Hey!” she shouted, struggling as he stomped over to the lounger where she slept. “Put me down, you fucking ape!”

  The Nobek did not respond, and no
ne of Michaela’s attempts to get free loosened his hold on her even a smidge. He sat down on the lounger and draped her face down across the slabs he called thighs.

  “What the hell are you doing? I’m dripping all over the floor,” Michaela complained, trying to get up.

  A big hand flattened between her shoulder blades, pinning her down. A second hand abruptly slammed against her ass. She was so shocked by the unexpected blow that she stopped fighting.

  An instant later, violent heat blazed across her buttocks. Michaela sucked in a lungful of air. It left her throat in a shriek.

  More meaty smacks rained down on her defenseless rear, turning it into roasted hell. Michaela redoubled her efforts to escape, screaming all the while. The spanking hurt, but her cries were borne more out of anger than pain.

  How dare Raxstad do such a thing! She’d claw his eyes out if she could get loose ... but the Nobek had her pinned down. None of her frantic struggles were working.

  “Stop! Stop, damn you!” she screamed.

  He did so to speak angrily. “You were warned, Michaela. I told you this would happen if you spoke that word again. You are never allowed to call yourself a freak. Apologize.”

  Michaela twisted around enough so that he could see her bare her teeth at him. “Fuck you!”

  He went back to wearing her ass out. The pain built, eclipsing her anger as it grew. She fought to get free to no avail.

  Michaela screamed at the Dramok who stood and watched with his arms folded over his chest. “Korkla! Get him off me!”

  Korkla’s face displayed no emotion, though his voice rose to be heard over the thumps of Raxstad’s hand on Michaela’s ass and her increasing wails. “Raxstad is our disciplinarian. He told you that word would get you punished. You are being taught an important lesson.”

  Michaela squirmed and kicked frantically. She even tried to bite Raxstad’s leg, but there was some sort of thick armor-like padding within his formsuit. She couldn’t get free.

  Govi’s voice was gentle but every bit as matter-of-fact as Korkla’s had been. “You’d better apologize, Michaela. Your ass is turning quite red.”