“So who or what are the Hive I heard Commander Sylvan talking about?” Molly asked as she felt for the buckles of her seat harness in the new, long-range ship they had boarded. They were a complicated array, unlike the simple seatbelt-like straps in the first ship Braxx had used to bring her up to the Mothership and she was having some difficulty with them.
“You heard that about the Hive, did you? You weren’t supposed to.” Braxx sounded like he was frowning.
“Why not?” Molly demanded. “Are the Kindred keeping something from the people of Earth? I heard Commander Sylvan say something about the Hive looking for Earth women.”
Braxx sighed. “We are only keeping it from you because we don’t want to frighten you. The Hive are a hostile alien species who have recently targeted Earth. But as long as the energy shield the Mothership is projecting around the planet remains unbroken, you have nothing to fear.”
“Nothing to fear? When a hostile species is targeting us?” Molly demanded. Her fingers seemed to be all thumbs—she couldn’t get the damn harness buckled to save her life. “What are they like? Are they anything like the Scourge?”
“Worse,” Braxx said darkly. “Here, allow me to help you with your harness. You must be securely fastened in before we enter the Rift.”
And then she felt his large, strong hands adjusting the straps between her breasts. He was being extremely business-like and trying not to touch her intimately but she felt her heart-rate pick up anyway as one of his large hands accidentally brushed against the point of her left nipple.
“Oh!” She gave a little gasp and jumped, feeling the touch almost like an electric shock of pleasure.
“Forgive me.” His hands stilled at once. “I’m not trying to take liberties. Did I touch—”
“No, no—it’s all right. Everything’s fine,” Molly said quickly. “I just, um—the harness was pinching me.” Which was a lie but what else could she say?
“Is it?” He sounded concerned and she felt his big hands sliding along the straps that crossed her shoulders and breasts, making certain she wasn’t being pinched.
“It’s fine now,” Molly told him. “It was just for a minute but now it’s fine.”
She couldn’t help remembering his vow to keep her safe…the way he had knelt before her and taken her hands in his. She knew he’d been kneeling or crouching because of where his voice had been coming from and she could almost picture him in her mind, on his knees before her, a serious look in those golden eyes…
Wish I could see him in something besides my imagination, she thought, feeling wistful. She didn’t usually want so intensely to see someone but the big Kindred was a definite exception.
She felt his big hands busy clicking another two straps that lay over her hips into the center point between her breasts and then he stopped for a moment and cleared his throat.
“Excuse me, Molly, but I’m afraid this is a five point harness and I’m going to need to reach between your legs to get the fifth strap.”
“Oh!” Molly felt her cheeks heating with embarrassment. “Um…go ahead,” she said and shifted back in her seat some, trying to give him room to work. She could feel the muscular bulk of his broad shoulders invading her space and the heat of his breath against her neck as he leaned over her.
His warm, spicy, masculine smell filled her senses again, making her feel almost dizzy.
God I just want to lick him like an ice cream cone! she thought and had a split second image of herself kneeling between the big Kindred’s legs with his thick shaft gripped in both hands as she put out her tongue to explore the broad, mushroom-shaped head…
Whoa—where did that thought come from? She tried uneasily to push it away. Why did his scent affect her so strongly? She barely knew him and here she was fantasizing about sex with him. What was wrong with her?
Then one of Braxx’s large, warm hands was sliding between her legs—between the hem of her sensible business skirt and the seat—searching for the elusive fifth strap.
Molly bit back a gasp and raised her bottom some more, trying to give him room to look. It seemed to take a long time but at last he murmured that he had found it and pulled it out from beneath her.
“I guess…guess I’m overdressed for this kind of ship,” she joked breathlessly as he drew the strap up between her thighs, which caused the hem of her skirt to ride up.
“I’m afraid you’re overdressed for Tal’oss Trenta in general,” Braxx rumbled as he clicked the fifth strap into place.
“What? What do you mean?” Molly asked anxiously. She’d been given very little information about the culture she was to study because it had been considered classified. She mainly knew they were sentient beings with a primitive culture which lived on the other side of the galaxy.
Normally she would never have gone into any field assignment with so little preparation but in this case she’d made an exception. Studying an alien race was the chance of a lifetime so she was willing to ‘learn on the job’.
“The Tal’ossi don’t wear nearly as much clothing as we do,” Braxx explained as he finished buckling her in. “They have…a different concept of modesty.”
He shut her door and went around to strap himself in to the pilot’s seat. At least that was what Molly assumed he was doing by the smooth hissing clicks of her door closing and his opening and the musical jingle of his harness as he buckled it. But she wasn’t ready to let his statement go.
“What do they wear?” she asked when it sounded like he was all buckled in.
“Well, the last time I was on Tal’os, when I went to negotiate the terms of your study of the Tal’ossi people, I wore a negu which is the native outfit. It’s a garment which cinches around the waist and is made of long, colored strands of the holy tanta grasses. It looks a little like the Earth clothing called a ‘kilt’ I believe.”
“So they wear grass kilts?” Molly asked. “What else?”
“Not much.” She could hear clicking sounds as he manipulated the instruments and the little ship lifted smoothly off the metal floor of the Mothership’s Docking Bay. “The females sometimes wear another negu cinched above their chests, but some choose not to and instead wear only elaborate amulets made of bones and feathers and fur. They have…” He cleared his throat. “Very small breasts, so the amulets are often sufficient for modesty purposes.”
“Fascinating,” Molly mused. “Well, I wasn’t expecting to wear what I have on now to interview them. I do have some outfits for field work packed—mostly jeans and t-shirts.” Most of the cultures she’d studied on Earth had no problem with her field work dress. They accepted that she was an outsider and she dressed like one.
“I don’t know if that will be sufficient to make the Tal’ossi trust you.” Braxx sounded like he was frowning. “They refused to negotiate with me until I was ‘dressed properly’. I’m not certain they would speak to you if you refused to wear the negu.”
“Oh. Well, all right.” Molly shifted in her seat, wishing her harness wasn’t quite so tight. “I just hope they have one to fit me,” she said, thinking uneasily of her full hips and large behind. She didn’t normally stress over her appearance since she couldn’t see it herself but she did prefer to be decently covered.
“I’m certain it won’t be a problem. The Tal’ossi females are about your height while the males are around mine,” he remarked.
“Tell me more,” Molly said eagerly. “What do they look like? Describe everything in as much detail as you can.”
“I’ll do my best. Their skin tones range from pale blue for the Top Dwellers to deep indigo in the Deep Dwellers…”
He spoke steadily, giving her a wealth of information as he piloted the little ship out to the fold in space. This he described, when Molly asked him to, as a long, red slash in the fabric of the universe. And he went on telling her more about the Tal’ossi after they emerged and were orbiting Tal’os Trenta.
Molly listened raptly and was glad that Braxx had agreed to come with her. Her assistant, Denise, was excellent at describing things to her when they were out in the field. But Braxx was just as good, in his way, which rather surprised her. He had seemed almost taciturn when she first met him but she found he was able to paint a picture she could see clearly with his words when he spoke. It was almost as though he’d had all these thoughts and descriptions bottled up inside him for ages with no one to tell them to.
“You’re wonderful at descriptions,” she told him as he began the landing sequence. “Please keep it up when we get down to the planet’s surface—I need to try and see through your eyes as I’m making my study and conducting interviews.”
“I’ll do my best,” he said gravely. “But the Tal’ossi place less of a premium on sight than most other races do—especially the Deep Dwellers.”
“Really? What do you mean?” Molly was fascinated.
“Well, their day to night cycle is almost the exact opposite of Earth’s,” Braxx explained as he landed the ship in what he had told her was an empty clearing. “That is, they have only eight hours of daylight and sixteen hours of night due to the rotation of their planet. They have no natural satellites—no moons—so their nights consist of the blackest darkness. And of course, the Deep Dwellers live in the darkness all of the time. So they rely more on their other senses—taste and touch and smell and hearing—than they do on sight.”
“Amazing,” Molly breathed. “It sounds like a culture tailor-made for me!”
“Because you are, uh, blind?” Braxx sounded somehow uncomfortable and she hastened to reassure him.
“You can say ‘blind’ to me. I don’t mind talking about my disability,” she told him. “In fact, if you want to ask me any questions about it, I’ll be happy to answer them.”
“All right.” He shifted in his seat and she had the idea he was leaning towards her. She turned towards him as well, as much as the harness would permit, anyway.
“Yes?” she asked, wondering what he would ask first.
“What about a canine?” he wanted to know.
“A what?” Molly frowned.
“A dog. It was my understanding that many blind humans had companion animals—dogs—to guide them where they wish to go.”
“Oh—a guide dog! Yes, I did have one when I was newly blind.” Molly sighed fondly. “Her name was Gilda and I swear she saved my life.”
“Because she helped you get around when you couldn’t see?”
“Not just that—she was always there for emotional support day and night. It wasn’t just the loss of my sight I was coping with—it was the loss of my parents,” Molly said honestly. “If Gilda hadn’t been there for me to hug and cry on and cuddle with, I think I would have killed myself. In fact, I tried…once.”
She didn’t know why she was admitting this—she’d never told another living soul about her one failed suicide attempt. But somehow the words just came out.
“What happened? What stopped you?” Braxs murmured.
“Gilda did. I was…” Molly cleared her throat. “Was trying to slit my wrists. But somehow she knew what I was doing—or trying to do, anyway. She kept getting between my wrist and the knife I was holding. And the whole time she was crying—whimpering—almost like she was begging me not to do it—begging me to stay with her…”
She trailed off, remembering the way the big German Shepherd mix had kept bumping the hand clutching the knife away and interposing her long muzzle between the blade and Molly’s wrist, all the time whining softly.
“I didn’t want to hurt her—to cut her by mistake,” she said at last. “And I couldn’t help wondering where Gilda would go if I did manage to off myself. I mean, I’m sure she would have been given to another blind person but I told myself no one could love her the way I did. Finally I put down the knife and hugged her instead.”
She remembered wrapping her arms around the furry neck and letting her tears flow, crying for the pain and loss of both her parents and her sight. She’d refused to allow herself to cry up until that time and the emotional catharsis had released something inside her—something dark which had been festering ever since she’d woken up blind in the hospital bed and had been told that her Mom and Dad were gone.
It was hard to go back to that memory and honestly, she didn’t know why she was going there now—much less telling a man she’d only just met about it. But somehow it seemed right to confide in the big Kindred. Or at least, not wrong—to her anyway. She had no idea how Braxx felt about what she’d just dumped in his lap.
“Anyway,” she said, trying to make her voice lighter. “That’s my almost-suicide story. I don’t know why I told you that—I hope it didn’t freak you out.”
“I am glad you told me. But what you went through…Gods, it’s terrible.” Braxx’s deep voice was unexpectedly soft.
“It was. It was a very dark period in my life—no pun intended,” she added wryly. “I still miss my parents and my sight, but Gilda got me through it. She was the best dog anyone could ever ask for—more like a friend really. When she died, well…”
Molly cleared her throat. She got choked up thinking about it—Gilda had been with her for fourteen years—a long time for a large breed dog. Losing her had been almost as painful as losing her parents, although she supposed some people would have a hard time understanding that.
“Yes?” Braxx murmured, letting her know he was still listening.
“Sorry.” Molly cleared her throat again. “When she died, I just didn’t want another dog. Besides, I travel so much for work and there are some places I go that a dog couldn’t come with me.” She shrugged. “So I mostly use my cane now. Um…” She coughed self-consciously. “So that’s my guide dog story. I’m sorry if it was kind of an over-share.”
“It wasn’t,” Braxx said earnestly. “I’m glad you shared it with me.” He paused for a long moment and then spoke again in a low voice. “I…I also lost a loved one in a crash. So I understand your feeling of devastating loss.”
The pain in his voice was raw and Molly had the idea his loss must have been much more recent than her own. Instinctively she reached out to him and found one of his big hands.
“I’m so sorry, Braxx,” she murmured.
After a moment of hesitation, Braxx took her offered hand and entwined their fingers.
Molly gave him a gentle squeeze.
“When did it happen?” she asked softly. “Who did you lose?”
“Around five cycles ago,” Braxx murmured. “And I lost my brother Yarex. Though I prefer…” He cleared his throat. “Prefer not to speak of it.”
“That’s all right.” Molly squeezed his hand again. “Not everybody is an over-sharer like me. But just know if you want to talk about it, I’m happy to listen.”
“Thank you.” Braxx sounded like he really meant it. “You know, despite everything that has happened to you, you are a remarkably positive person.” His voice dropped to a soft growl. “It’s…extremely attractive.”
“Well, thank you.” Molly felt her cheeks getting hot. “I find you, um, attractive too,” she admitted softly. “In fact, I can’t remember the last time I felt so attracted to someone.”
The minute the words were out of her mouth she was both embarrassed and ashamed. Oh God, why had she said that? She cleared her throat.
“Um, that was extremely unprofessional of me. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he murmured. He stroked her hand and then Molly felt him press her palm to his lips in a lingering kiss. Her pulse started racing.
“Braxx…” she whispered, not certain what she was going to say. “We really shouldn’t…shouldn’t start anything right now. I mean, we’re supposed to be working together. This could, uh, muddy the waters.”
“Agreed.” He sighed and released her hand. “Forgive me. It won’t happen again.”
“Nothing to forgive,” Molly said as lightly as she could. “And it’s not that I’m not interested in…something in the future. But while we’re here on Tal’os Trenta we should probably just, you know, keep it professional.”
“Of course.”
But was there still an echo of desire in his low, rumbling voice? Molly thought so and it made her stomach flutter. She pressed her thighs together hard, trying to still the aching that had suddenly risen between her legs.
“I suppose we should get going,” Braxx said at last. “The Wise One will be waiting to meet you.”
Molly felt her heart start to pound even harder but she didn’t know if she was more excited at the beginning of her new field study…or the soft kiss she could still feel burning her palm.
“I can’t wait,” she said. “Lead the way.”