No Escape - Book 4: Trek Mi Q'an Read online

  “’Twas closer to refuel and rearm myself here than to return to Arak. And,” he murmured, “I have not yet told you the whole of it.”

  Cam felt his stomach muscles clench, though he hadn’t any notion as to why. The tiny hairs at the back of his neck stood up, as if portently. “Aye?” he said in low tones. “Tell me then.”

  Gio sighed. “The male servant espied Dari in the company of someone other than the lesser male’s.”

  “Who?” Cam asked softly.

  Gio’s gaze clashed with his. “With a golden wench Dari hugged and kissed as though she hadn’t laid eyes upon her in nigh unto five Yessat years.” His nostrils flared. “With a golden wench she joyfully embraced whilst calling her names such as ‘sister’ and ‘Jana’.”

  Cam’s eyes widened. His hearts rate picked up. If Jana was alive that meant also that—

  Nay. Such was not possible.

  “What are you saying, my friend.” It was a question that had been issued as a statement, for Cam knew exactly what it was that Gio was telling him.

  Gio absently raked a hand across his chin. “’Tis possible that your betrothed is alive, Cam. And ‘tis possible that my betrothed accompanies her.”

  Chapter 4

  Kara was having a wicked-good time watching Dari’s jaw hang agape all throughout the evening meal. She knew how her sorely missed cousin felt, for ‘twas the same way she’d felt when first she and Jana had arrived on Galis five Yessat years past.

  Everything on Galis was different. ‘Twas as if the planet was the mirror reflection of Tryston, yet in reverse. In many ways Galis reminded her of a saga her mani had once told her about a little girl named Alice and her adventures in a place called Wonderland. Like Alice, they had fallen into a world where everything was the opposite of the world they had once dwelled in.

  Dari sighed as she finished the last bit of her stew. She turned to Kara. “Remember the wetted vesha-towels the bound servants would hand to us after we partook of a sticky repast?” Her brow furrowed as she studied her sticky hands. “Have they vesha-towels here?” she asked almost absently.

  Kara grinned. She could scarcely wait to witness Dari’s reaction to her answer. “Aye. The male servant attending to you holds yours.”

  Dari glanced o’er towards him, her lips puckered into a frown much reminiscent of her mani’s. “I don’t see—”

  Kara bit down onto her lip to keep from laughing aloud, but the shocked look on Dari’s face was nigh unto hilarious. She cleared her throat, grinning from ear to ear. “Do you see it now?”

  “Aye,” Dari squeaked. She cleared her throat. “I mean aye, I see it.” Reaching up, she snatched the wet vesha-towel that dangled from the male servant’s erect manpart and briskly washed her hands with it. Her nostrils flared. “I don’t understand the way of things here, Kara,” she grumbled. “And it makes me look the fool.”

  “Nay.” Kara chuckled, a dimple popping out on either cheek. “You look much less the fool than Jana and I did when first we arrived. ‘Tis a vow amongst cousins that my jaw hung open for at least a solid fortnight.”

  Dari found her first grin. A rarity for her, so Kara new she was well-humored. “Aye, I believe it. ‘Tis a passing fair place, yet different for a certainty.” She glanced back at the male servant attending to her, then turned back to Kara. “How is it possible that…” She waved a hand about. “How do their manparts stay forever erect as they do?”

  Kara tossed a migi-candy into her mouth, savoring the sweetness of her favored dessert. “They’ve spells placed o’er their cocks by High Mystiks.” She shrugged, having had five Yessat years to grow accompanied to the sight. “’Tis so they are able to perform sexually at any time a wench desires to sample of their charms.”

  Dari’s eyes widened. “Have you ever sampled of their charms?” she murmured.

  “Nay.” Kara sighed as her teeth sank into another migi-candy. “Leastways, I have been tempted a time or two by the sight of so many erect cocks, yet I’ve never felt as though ‘twas the right man or the right time…” Her voice trailed off. “Mostly I’ve felt it was never the right man,” she admitted in a whisper of a breath.

  Dari looked away. She didn’t wish to think on Gio any more than Kara wished to think on Cam. ‘Twas naught but hearts-ache down that trelli-paved road.

  “I’ve decided to attend the final hunt of the season,” Kara said, turning the topic. “’Tis on the moon-rising of the morrow. Would you like to accompany me?”

  “Aye,” Dari said, nodding. “I should very much like to—ahh I forgot.” She sighed.

  Kara’s brow furrowed. “What? What is wrong?”

  “Kari and I are trekking into Valor City on the morrow. There is…information there I might find useful.”

  When Dari’s features schooled themselves into a grim mask, Kara realized she would say naught else on the subject. She sighed. She wished she knew what it was that her cousin had endured before finding passage to Galis. She wished too that she understood how the six-foot boy-child named Bazi who had accompanied Dari to Galis factored into it. Yet ‘twas sorely apparent on both accounts that her cousin cared not to divulge any information as of yet.

  But thirty Nuba-minutes later, as Dari rose from the bench to see Bazi off to his rooms, Kara vowed to herself that she would find a way to get her cousin to confide in her. She sensed ‘twas important that she did.

  * * * * *

  Jana’s gaze meandered o’er the male servant’s body, hovering at the erect manpart holding her vesha-towel. ‘Twas the biggest, fiercest specimen of manhood she’d ever laid eyes on.

  She felt her mouth watering as she gingerly plucked the small towel from his large cock and patted at her lips with it. ‘Twould be bliss, the pummeling that cock would give her in her chamber this moon-rising. She’d never taken a male servant to the vesha hides, or any other male for that matter, but ‘twas for a certainty she would be impaling herself upon the manpart of this formidable male within the hour. She’d never experienced a compulsion so strong, so basic and primal. ‘Twas as if her body was being summoned by the goddess to couple with the servant’s. “Take yourself off to my rooms,” she said arrogantly, not so much as deigning to glance upwards at his face. She feared if she did he would see her bizarre need reflected in her glazed-o’er eyes. “Await me in my bedchamber. I shall be up shortly.”

  When the male made no move to see to her bidding, she was startled enough to glance up. Leastways, males did not disobey females on Galis—not ever.

  Her glowing blue gaze clashed with his piercing silver one. He possessed the eyes of a predator, she thought somewhat warily. The irises of his eyes were the most formidably honed silver she’d ever gazed upon.

  And what’s worse, the anger radiating from the servant was a tangible thing. She could see the anger in the clenching of his jaw, feel it in the way his eyes bore into hers, sense it as his heavily muscled body corded and tensed. He stood as tall and as big as any warrior, yet she knew from the silver of his eyes that he was no warrior. He was sired of a different species altogether. What species he could have possibly been sired of she hadn’t any notion.

  Jana forced herself to remember that ‘twas her right to avail herself of the servant’s charms at any time she so desired. He was but a gift from Klykka and therefore hers for the taking. She narrowed her eyes as she spoke to him. “No matter your species, humanoid, you belong to me for five Yessat years. Klykka captured you fairly in battle and ‘tis mine you now are.” She kept her words soft, but forceful. “Obey me in all things, handsome one, or ‘tis my punishment instead of my pussy that you shall receive.”

  The servant’s jaw clenched hotly. His silver eyes promised retribution. “I beg to differ with you, mistress,”—he spat the word out, “but I would not call capturing a drugged and otherwise unawares male in any way fair battling.”

  Jana waved that away. She didn’t know how Klykka had captured him, nor did she care. Her body fair screamed for release j
ust gazing upon him. He elicited primordial reactions from her she’d never heard tell of. The desire to mate with him was so paramount as to be painful. Perspiration dotted her brow as the most intense wave of heat suffused her.

  She gasped as her nipples hardened painfully, a reaction that induced one side of the male servant’s mouth to curl upwards in an arrogant half-smile. He knew something that she didn’t, she thought warily. What in the name of the holy sands was happening to her?

  Jana had heard tell of heeka-beasts and gazi-kors going into heat when the need to reproduce was upon them. Leastways, she had never heard tell of such a thing happening to a Trystonni wench. She was overcome with the need to milk the male’s rod with her channel, to allow him to plant a hatchling within her womb…

  She gasped at her distressing thoughts, then schooled her features into a formidable mask as her teeth ground together. She would entertain her bizarre thoughts no longer. She needed to mate. ‘Twas all that was of importance. “Fair. Unfair. It matters naught for you are mine.” Her eyes devoured the length of his swollen cock—a cock Klykka’s potent magic had commanded to remain hard at all times—then licked her lips. “Take yourself off to my bed anon, slave.” Her eyes found his. “Or I’ll have you tied to it.”

  A tic began to work in his jaw. “If you tie me up, zya,” he said too softly, “you will know my punishment.”

  Jana was startled enough to frown. A moment passed in silence, their proverbial horns locking. Then her eyes narrowed determinedly as her jaw did some clenching of its own. “Never threaten your mistress, slave.” Her nostrils flared. “Guards!”

  * * * * *

  Cam strode toward Gio, his stride brisk and efficient.

  “Well?” Gio asked, his glowing violet eyes scanning Cam’s clenched jaw, his flaring nostrils. “Did you learn anything useful?”

  “Aye,” he bit out. “I did.”

  Gio sighed. “Kara is alive I take it?”

  “Alive and well,” Cam growled. “And going by the family name Gy’at Li.”

  Their gazes clashed as a moment of silence passed between them. Finally, Gio murmured, “Did you get the sector coordinates?”

  Cam fisted and unfisted his hand, causing veins to bulge on his forearm. “Aye,” he ground out. “I did.”

  Chapter 5

  Kara slithered through the Trefa jungle, naked except for her thigh-high maroon combat boots and the maroon tishi paint smeared all o’er her body. She was the only of the Gy’at Li sisters who had decided to partake of the last hunt of the season. The others had made different plans.

  Kari, Klykka, and Dari had all three ventured into Valor City in the hopes of gaining an audience with Talia, the Chief High Mystik of Galis. Talia, known amongst the women warriors as Flash for her quick reflexes and unsurpassed skills in pack hunting, held court but twice a Yessat year, this moon-rising being one of them.

  Jana had decided to remain behind to bring her wayward and newly acquired male servant to heel, whilst Dorra was still busily enjoying the benefits of teaching Vrek all there was to know in the vesha hides.

  Thus, the only of the Gy’at Li sisters pack-hunting on this the last official moon-rising of the hunting season was Kara. Leastways, she now wished she hadn’t given her vow to do so, for she very much would have preferred trekking into Valor City with her cousin and adoptive sisters o’er gaining more credits to add to their already impressive hoard of them.

  Crawling on all fours through the dense jungle’s maroon terrain, it occurred to Kara that she had somehow managed to separate herself from the rest of the pack. She sighed, wondering idly when she’d become such a careless huntress. ‘Twasn’t like her to become distracted for a certainty, yet on this moon-rising she had obviously managed to become distracted enough to wander too far off from the others whilst she tracked the Galian male she’d been hired to bag.

  Cam. He was the reason, she thought with a harrumph.

  Kara had thought back on her former betrothed often o’er the years, hoping against hope that when they met again on the other side of the Rah, he would forgive her of all her transgressions against him. She doubted that he would ever forgive her, even in the next life, yet she had still hoped.

  Aye, she had thought back on Cam K’al Ra more times than she could count o’er the years, wondering how he was, hurting herself with jealous thoughts concerning which highborn mistress he might be dallying with, yet during the past fortnight she had been plagued with haunted memories of him stronger than ever before. ‘Twas as if her connection to him had been rebirthed. And ‘twas driving her mad. She sometimes felt overcome with the need to return to him, knew even that she should, yet she also knew he would always hate her and she didn’t think she could bear to see the turquoise eyes that had once glowed with love of the hearts for her glow with naught but revulsion and hatred instead.

  Kara took a deep breath and expelled it, deciding ‘twas no use in thinking on Cam. What was done was done. She had chosen her own path and she had willingly traveled down it. Like as naught, she would spend the rest of her days regretting that course for she missed her family—and Cam—sorely, yet the past could not be changed. ‘Twas all her own doing. She had made choices in her youth and they were choices she must now pay the price for as a wench grown.

  The sound of a crackling tu-tu frond caused Kara’s ears to perk up. She slithered closer to the next brush then came down on her elbows when she neared it, planning to take a look on the other side of it through the gaping hole that always appeared near the bottom of a tu-tu bush. Still crawling upon all fours, her naked buttocks were high into the air as she pressed her face closer to the ground that she might glance through the bottom of the tu-tu bush and ascertain where the sound had come from.

  “Well what have we here,” a chillingly cold voice said.

  Kara’s entire body stilled. She sucked in her breath, knowing precisely who that voice belonged to. She had heard it whisper to her in her every waking fantasy and sleeping dream these past five Yessat years. And right now, it was fiercely angry with her. She felt the anger penetrate her body, sweeping through her in a current of emotion much like a gastrolight charge. The feeling was frightening, and somewhat physically painful. She made a small whimpering noise, then immediately chastised herself for making a sound that could be interpreted as naught but fear and submission.

  “Oh aye, you should be afraid,” the voice growled as it drew closer.

  Kara closed her eyes on a wince, her hearts rate beating rapidly as she quickly tried to think of what she should do. She was frightened—powerfully frightened—and because of that fact she refused to look back at him. Cam K’al Ra had been terrifying to her before she’d disobeyed him. Her fear was a thousand times worse now, knowing he would punish her for a certainty.

  In that moment, the past five Yessat years melted away, the rationality of a matured wench along with it. She felt two and twenty again—young and driven by desperation. No matter that she’d missed Cam. No matter that a part of her hearts had secretly hoped this day would come. Now that it was here and she felt the tentative control he had on his emotions threatening to snap, her only thought was to once again flee. Without thinking, her eyes flew open and every muscle in her body corded and tensed as she made a move to lunge to her feet and sprint away.

  And yet—nothing happened. Her body remained unmoving. She began to sweat.

  “Oh goddess,” Kara quietly cried out, feeling somewhat hysterical. Cam’s gaze was commanding her body to his bidding. She couldn’t move, couldn’t flee, could do naught but remain upon the jungle floor on all fours, her face submissively lowered to the ground whilst her buttocks were thrust up high, showcasing her channel for him. Her hearts rate was so high she feared she might do something embarrassingly weak like swoon.

  “Now now Kara,” the voice said mockingly, “’tis just now that I’ve found you.” Cam drew closer still until Kara was certain he had come down upon his knees behind her. When his large pal
ms settled upon her buttocks, she knew that she had been right. “Don’t tell me you think to flee me again so soon,” he rumbled out.

  Kara’s nostrils flared at his superior tone. “If you are so certain of yourself and your abilities, why not release me from your hold that we might decide my fate as equals,” she ground out.

  When he said nothing for long moments, Kara began to nibble at her lower lip. When she tried to swivel her head that she might look upon him, she found that she couldn’t. Even the simple movement of her neck had been summoned, disallowing any part of her body save her voice to move. “Will you not speak?” she asked warily.

  Just then she heard a sound, not of Cam’s voice, but of his labored breathing. His large hands began to knead her buttocks and she could tell without needing to look upon him that his eyes were feasting on the ripe flesh between her thighs. Perversely, when but a Nuba-second ago she had felt naught but terror at the sheer worrying o’er what he might do to her, she instead felt her nipples harden and her belly clench in anticipation of what he might do next.

  “Your channel still drips for me,” he murmured as his hands kneaded and massaged the soft globes of her buttocks. He pressed his face against her swollen channel and inhaled the scent of her. “You’ve been with no male of any species,” he rasped out, his happiness apparent in the carnality of his tone. His breathing grew heavier, more labored. “I shall never allow you from my sight again, pani.” His jaw clenched. “Never.”

  Kara closed her eyes against what his usage of the word pani did to her hearts. How could he respond to her this way? she thought guiltily. How could he call her by the very endearment he’d used for her whilst she’d been growing up on Tryston? After all that she had done to shame him, why would he—

  With a groan, Cam buried his face between Kara’s thighs and began to lap frenziedly at her channel. “Mmmm,” he growled as his tongue streaked wet paths all o’er her flesh. “All mine,” he murmured.