Mari had just put away her new clothes in her cabin when the door suddenly opened. She twisted around to watch Dovis enter. He wore his standard black uniform. He stopped just inside the door and closed it behind him. He lifted a hand and pointed a claw-tipped finger at her.
“Stay over there. Sorry I used my security clearance to enter without permission but I didn’t want anyone to see me in your cabin.”
“Why?”
“That’s what I want to know. Why are you doing favors for the crew to make them give me stuff?” He looked angry.
“I’m sorry. I thought it would make you happy.”
“But why do it?”
“To thank you for saving my life, Dovis.”
“There’s no need. You got hurt getting the engines working to save us from being attacked by pirates. I’d have done it for anyone.”
She didn’t know why that made her chest ache in a painful way. “Okay.” She lowered her chin and gazed at the floor between them. “I’ll stop trading favors.”
“How did the installation of the U coupling go?”
“Good. We’re able to leave the station whenever the captain is ready. I informed him of that but some of the crew want to spend another day here, I guess.”
A low growl came from him. “Look at me.”
She raised her chin.
“Did you tell anyone what you saw from my vent grate while you were cleaning it?”
She felt the color drain from her face. How did he know about that?
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Were you purposely spying on me? Why?”
“It was an accident. I was just cleaning the vents, I swear. I didn’t even know that was your cabin. The cabins aren’t marked by who they belong to.”
He seemed to study her closely with his black eyes. “I believe you. What exactly did you see?”
She hesitated to answer, not wanting to infuriate him.
“Tell me,” he said, taking a step forward. “You owe me that much. The truth.”
“I didn’t know you were in your cabin when I began to clean the grate. You stepped out of your shower. I was too afraid to crawl away in case you heard me inside the vent. Then you changed while going to sleep.”
“You didn’t tell anyone?”
“Never.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not allowed to talk about things I see while working. I’m just to do my job. Some slaves like to gossip but I’ve seen them punished for it. I would never do something that earned me a lot of pain or possible death. I keep my mouth shut. You can depend on that.”
“What did you think when you saw me in skin?”
“I was afraid you’d hear me and rip open the grate to tear me out of the vent if you discovered me there. I worked on a repair station for a long time. I’ve heard about shapeshifters before. I know this is probably your social form, but when you’re alone, you wear the other one.”
“I frighten you like this.” He waved a hand at his body.
“You’re big, and you have sharp teeth. You remind me of a race I saw once on the station. It ate another alien.”
He gaped at her, blinking.
“Sorry.” She lowered her gaze. “No offense.”
“None taken. I promise to never take a bite out of you.”
She smiled slightly and dared to look at him again. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I think I’d taste terrible and I don’t have a lot of meat on me.”
“You actually taste good.”
Her eyes widened, surprised at what he’d said.
He cleared his throat. “Forget I said that. I just wanted to get thing cleared up between us. You don’t owe me anything. Stop doing favors for the crew to get them to give me their stuff or make me things. It was nice…but there’s no need.”
“I’m sorry. This is all new to me. I was trying to show my appreciation.”
He glanced around her cabin. “It’s very clean in here.”
“Of course. I will always make sure I pass inspection.”
He shook his head. “No one cares if your cabin is clean or not. Ask York. His cabin is a mess. I take it your owner made you keep your cabin clean?”
“Not him directly, but one of his assistants or family members checked our living spaces almost daily. They were tiny rooms with a narrow cot. It’s punishable to be messy. It shows disrespect for all we’re given. Slaves should be grateful at all times.”
“You’re not a slave anymore, Mari.”
“I know. It’s just…I’m never sure how to act or what the rules are.”
“I understand that. It was difficult for me when I first left my home planet. I knew nothing about other races. My first job was station security.” He almost smiled—or what passed for one when the corners of his mouth curved slightly at the sides of his muzzle. “I got the job because I scared everyone. I was aggressive, figuring I needed to be to prevent anyone from messing with me. I snarled at the person who interviewed me and he grinned, thinking it was great. He asked if I could fight, and I ended up training a lot of my co-workers.”
“You look very tough.”
He chuckled. “Not in my other form.”
“I didn’t really get a good look. I was too afraid you’d find me in the vent. I just wanted to get away from you.”
He closed his eyes—and she was stunned when his fur began to recede.
His muzzle shrank and bones made soft popping noises. Just as she had inside the vent, Mari watched in amazement as his ears got smaller and he changed forms. Like before, he had tan skin and full lips—but when he opened his eyes, she gasped. The black color had lightened to a soft brown.
Dovis was actually good-looking. When his muzzle had pushed in, the bones seemed to settle somehow to make his face a little wider and give him strong cheekbones.
He took her breath away.
“Still tough-looking?”
His voice wasn’t as deep but remained very masculine and husky. She nodded. “You’re still big and muscular. You also still look as if you could hurt someone.”
He smiled. This time it was easy, and clear to see since he had a very human-like mouth. She noticed he had long, thick eyelashes. His chin was squared. It was tempting to go touch his skin to see if it was as soft as it looked. She didn’t dare, though.
“I’ve seen a lot of aliens. You’ve very handsome for one. May I ask why you hide this side of yourself from the crew? I mean, if you do. I just assumed.”
His smile faded and he took another step closer, but stopped. “Cathian has seen me this way. Apparently, Raff has too. This is a shameful form for an Amarain. It’s rare and considered a birth defect.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Myths on Amarai, my planet, say we’re a mutation. I was born in skin and couldn’t grow fur or change to look like them until what you would call puberty. My parents dumped me outside of our village after I was born, leaving me to the elements to die. It’s shameful to birth one like me. An elder female found me and took me into her home. It’s how I survived.”
“I don’t understand. Can’t all of your kind change forms?”
He shook his head. “Not to this degree. They can shorten their fur and muzzles to show submission to someone more dominant but never all the way to skin. And I can do more than just change drastically in appearance.” He hesitated. “I bit your shoulder, Mari. There’s something in my saliva that can heal pretty severe injuries. It’s also considered a shameful mutant thing. My culture is kind of into fighting and suffering. To be able to heal the way I can is considered criminal and against nature.”
“Your people sound pretty dumb. It’s a wonderful gift to be able to heal someone else.” Then she gasped, realizing she’d said that out loud and maybe insulted him. “Sorry!”
He shrugged. “You’re attracted to me because of a side effect of my bite. There was a myth the elder female shared with me, about mutants being able to draw women to them sexually with their bite. I didn’t really understand or believe what she said…until you started sniffing and touching me. I apologize for that. It should stop once my DNA leaves your system. I had to bite Raff once, but he wasn’t attracted to me. It must be because you’re a female.” Dovis cleared his throat. “Anyway, I figured you deserved an explanation if you were confused as to why you’d find me sexually appealing. You aren’t losing your mind. It’s just a reaction to the bite.”
“I appreciate you being honest with me.”
“Don’t share anything I’ve told you.”
“I give you my word. Until death and beyond.” She approached him and raised her arm, presenting him with her palm, then bowed her head.
“What are you doing?”
She lifted her chin. “Giving my word. I gave my promise to the Teki before. See?” She showed him her other palm, two deep, thin scars running along its length. “I’m willing to suffer the pain of you slicing my skin to prove my commitment to keeping my silence. I won’t make a sound while you cut me.”
He grabbed her hand in his. His skin felt soft and hot. “I hate the fucking Teki. They did this to you?” He turned her hand over, examining the scars. A growl rumbled from him.
She inhaled…and once more loved the way he smelled. Better than food when she had gone too long without eating. Her body began to do funny things again, too. Her nipples beaded and an ache started between her legs. Part of her began to throb down there.
She’d forgotten to stay away from him. Mari knew she was breathing faster.
Dovis’s soft brown eyes widened as they stared at each other. His nostrils flared, and his hold on her hand tightened. “Shit.”
“I forgot.”
Her gaze lowered to his lips, and for some reason she wanted to touch them. She hesitated for just a second before reaching up with her free hand and lightly brushing her fingertips against them. They were firm but pleasant. The texture wasn’t quite like her own.
She jerked her hand back, realizing what she’d done.
“Fuck.” Dovis’s voice deepened. “I need to leave.” He released her hand. “Now.” He spun around and activated the door to open.
Mari didn’t want him to go. She had freedom and a new life. She was a female human in her twenties. Last time she’d caught his scent, her body had ached for a long time. The idea of sex made her curious, and she’d seen the captain kissing Nara. It looked nice. “Stay! Please?”
He paused.
“Please stay. Will you at least kiss me?”
He faced her and took a step forward, the door closing at his back. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do.” She stepped closer.
“You’re only attracted to me because of the bite.”
“Maybe…but I still want you to kiss me.” He’d also saved her life. She was smart enough not to mention that to him though.
No one had really cared about her enough to break rules. Captain Cathian had implied if anyone ever found out what Dovis had done that he could be killed. Maybe he’d only taken the risk because she was crew…but she stared at his mouth, wanting to feel it against hers anyway. He was so handsome without the snout. Less frightening.
He moved closer still. “Don’t hate me later. Swear.”
“My promise is given.”
He grabbed her waist, making her gasp at how fast he could move—and then his mouth covered hers.
Her lips were parted from the sound she’d just made, and his tongue delved inside, meeting hers.
She thought he smelled wonderful, but his taste was even better.
Mari moaned, clutching his shoulders. Thoughts left her mind and all she could do was feel.
Dovis kissed the hell out of Mari. She tasted sweet and his body felt on fire. The idea of shifting back to fur at that moment was something he feared, but the urge didn’t surface.
He lifted Mari off the floor and she wrapped her thighs around his hips. He had to tear his mouth from hers to watch where he walked. He made it to her bed and placed her on the mattress, following her down.
He licked her throat and placed kisses there. Her little fingers were tearing at his uniform, trying to get to skin. He freed one of his arms and reached to the side of his shirt, fumbling with the hidden flap, and finally tore it open. He had to lift off her to remove the entire thing and toss it away.
Mari’s eyes were wide. She panted and ran her hands along his bare chest. Her touch on his sensitive skin nearly drove him insane.
He wanted her. His shaft swelled until his uniform pants were almost painful. He stared into her eyes. “Tell me to stop.”
“More,” she whispered. Her hands seemed frantic as they stroked his skin from his chest to his bare shoulders. She dug her short fingernails into his skin and tried to pull him closer.
“Damn it, Mari. This is just from my saliva.”
“Don’t care. Please! I hurt.” She released his shoulder and eased a hand between her legs. “Right there. It throbs.”
He inhaled the scent of her arousal and snarled, lifting up and pulling away from her hold. She made a sound of protest but he ignored it, grabbing her little feet and tearing off her foot covers, tossing them aside. He bent, reaching for her pants next. They had one overlapping button he just tore off before yanking the material down her legs. Humans didn’t appear to wear undergarments…or at least an ex-slave didn’t.
She had a small bit of fur between her legs. The scent of her need was stronger minus the clothes, and he dropped to his knees, grabbed her thighs, and yanked her to the edge of the bed.
“You asked for this, Mari. Don’t forget.”
“What are you doing?” She tried to sit up and close her legs.
He didn’t let her. Instead, he spread her thighs wider and buried his face in that little patch of fur.
The taste of her on his tongue had him snarling with need.
She moaned and her fingers plunged into his hair. She didn’t try to tear him away though, as he licked and tasted her.
The hard little nub he licked made her moan louder. He remembered what he’d read about humans when he’d researched what Cathian might do to feed from Nara, after she’d been brought onboard when his friend was in heat.
He sucked and licked on her clit. He had to hold her down when she bucked her hips as if he were hurting her, but he knew better from the pleasured sounds she made. The scent of her arousal grew stronger, and then she cried out his name. The little nub he focused on began to soften slightly.
He gently stopped and released her thighs, straightening to see her face.
Mari’s eyes were closed, her pale skin flush as her breathing raced.
He reached down, opened his uniform pants, and let his shaft free. Dovis gripped her legs, lifted them to rest on the his hips, and slid one hand under her waist to pull her closer. He looked down as he lined them up, until the tip of his shaft pressed against her flesh.
“Mari, are you certain?”
She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Yes.”
“I’ll be careful.” Humans liked facing positions, from what he’d read. He could see her expression and it would let him know if he caused her pain. She looked small down there, but he pushed against her slit. She was really wet. A groan tore from him as he aimed thick tip of himself against the slit of her pussy. He paused and then released the base of his shaft, getting a good hold on Mari’s hip. He pushed in all the way in one swift thrust.
She cried out, and he lowered his upper body, pinning her under him as he took possession of her mouth. He was buried deep inside her tight sheath. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and he kissed her. She hesitated for a few seconds but then began to respond. He withdrew a little, paused, and pushed back inside her body.
He loved the way she felt. Wet, snug around him, and so hot. Soft even there. He thrust slow and steady, liking the way she wrapped her legs around his waist, their bodies pressed against each other. He wished he’d removed her shirt, though.
He broke the kiss, allowed his hand to shift to claws, and carefully tore open the material to see her breasts.
They were beautiful. Not too large…the perfect size. He dipped his head to taste one of her taut pink nipples. She moaned again.
He rocked his hips faster and her moans grew louder.
She felt perfect and so right. His balls tightened and he knew he was going to expel his seed soon.
Mari dug her fingernails into his back, clawing him. It increased his pleasure.
He released her nipple with his mouth. “Harder,” he urged.
Her nails dug into his skin, and he knew she was probably leaving scratches along his back. He fucked her faster. Her sex tightened around him and then she threw back her head, almost screaming. It hurt his ears but he didn’t care as he stopped holding back, thrusting harder.
His seed expelled, ecstasy ripping from his balls upward to his brain.
He braced his arms to keep his weight from crushing her as he slowed his thrusts until every drop of his seed was inside her. He didn’t want to move, enjoying the feel of her pinned under him with her limbs wrapped around his body. Their skin touched everywhere. That felt good, too, but not as amazing as what they’d just shared.
Mari cleared her throat, and he looked down to find her watching him. She smiled. “You vibrate down there.”
Her words confused him. “I don’t understand.”
“You were kind of growling the entire time, and it gave off vibrations.” Her cheeks turned pink. “Can I see you down there?”
She surprised him again. “You want to see my shaft?”
She nodded.
He’d already shown himself in skin, and they’d bred, so he agreed. “Fine. Release me.”
She hesitated but finally eased her hold around his neck and his hips. He pushed off the bed and got up from his knees on the floor to stand. Mari sat up and stared at his groin.
Her eyes widened…and he looked down.
Red blood was smeared on his shaft, which remained semi-hard still.
“Is that normal? I’m not on my monthly cycle. I would have warned you.”
Her innocent question jerked him out of his shock. “No.” He bent, pressed her onto her back, and spread her legs again. There was red blood on her sex now. It hadn’t been there before he’d inserted his shaft. “Shit! I think I hurt you. That’s not my blood. It’s yours. I’d know the scent anywhere after biting you.”
“It was my first time. Maybe that’s why? It hurt for a split second when you entered me, but then it felt so good it didn’t matter.”
“You’ve never been bred before?”
“No.”
He held out his hand. “Stand.”
She took his hand and he pulled her up. He spun her away from him and wrapped one of his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. “I’m going to bite you. It will heal whatever damage I did. You were very tight.” He used his other hand to move her hair from her neck, then dipped his head. She was short, but he bent low to reach her shoulder and lick her skin.
He shifted back to his other form and gently sank his teeth into her flesh.
Mari gasped, stiffening in his hold, but she didn’t try to pull away. He tasted her blood, tempted to drink, but withdrew his fangs, licking at the bite before inspecting it. The puncture wounds sealed almost instantly. He leaned in again and licked away any blood, cleaning her.
Mari squirmed against him.
“Hold still.”
“You’re making me ache between my legs again. Throb,” she whispered.
He flinched when she peered up at him. He waited for her to jerk away, since he was in his normal form, but she didn’t. She seemed calm. He adjusted his hold on her waist and his claws brushed lightly over her skin, where her torn shirt gaped open. It reminded him that he’d hurt her if he took her again the way he was.
“Lay down on the bed and take off that damn shirt.”
She yanked off the torn material and tossed it aside.
He hated to see the sight of blood on her thighs. He’d done that to her…but on some species, it happened their first time. She wouldn’t be in any pain, now that he’d bitten her, any damage he’d done repaired.
He bent, removing his shoes and his pants as he forced the fur to recede. His jaw ached from two changes so close together, but it didn’t matter. There was no way he’d risk hurting her. He crawled onto her bed in skin.
“Are you certain you want me again, Mari?”
She held his gaze, reaching for him. “Yes.”