The Harvest: Taken Read online

  I licked his fingers, tasting my own pre-come. Slowly drawing a finger into my mouth, I teased it, running my tongue up and down the long digit.

  "Get the others wet, too." It was an order; it also sounded like a plea. I sucked his fingers one at a time, closing my eyes as his fingers eased in and out of my mouth and his right hand gently caressed my throat. Panting, he moved that warm, moist hand back down to my cock and began stroking me faster and faster, twisting his fingers around its head."Close," I whispered into his neck. "Make me come."

  His hand flew over my shaft, and I arched as pleasure consumed me. Soft purrs sounded in my ears as I drifted back down. Then, once again, his fingers teased my lips and then moved to his own.

  "Lift yourself, my mate."

  Bending forward, I braced my hands on his knees, giving him the room to undo his pants. Using my come, he slicked his cock and helped me ease back onto him. Slowly, he slid into me; the slight burn I felt was lost in the sensation that he was where I badly needed him to be.

  His hands grasped my hips and he moved me up and down on his shaft, his speed increasing as my moans grew louder. Looking out across the treetops, I wondered for a second if anyone could see us. Then, bracing my feet on the floor, I rode him hard as his cock finally stiffened deep inside me. Heat flooded me as he came. Screaming weakly, I dropped my head as his barb nipped into me, pleasure shooting through me again.

  While his barb locked us together, Keyno pulled me back against his chest, his hands caressing my nipples as he flexed his shaft deep inside me.

  "Stop that, you evil alien!" I gasped.

  Keyno's only response was a soft laugh.

  The next morning started off like the last—with me sucking him off and him fucking me afterward in the shower. I wasn't sure where all this sexual energy was coming from, but I wasn't about to abstain.

  After our shower, we launched into the usual insanity that going on a trip involves—trying to get everything packed into our vehicle, trying to remember if I forgot anything, arguing about who to pick up first, lugging all of our baggage on board the shuttle, pre-flight checks and, finally, take-off. And, when we arrived, we were escorted to the landing bay where we were greeted by friends and acquaintances: Ti, Colt, and several of Ti's crew that we'd previously met. I guess some things never change, no matter what planet you're on.

  Shortly after that, we were introduced to Ti's father, his tribe's leader. Like Earth, the Onfre didn't have a planetary ruler. Unlike Earth, their planet was divided up, not into countries or states, but into tribes, and each tribe had a leader. Ten tribes covered their world, and the leader from each tribe was responsible for his or her territory, which was huge. Anything that affected the planet as a whole was discussed by the leaders and voted on in a centrally located building for such discussions. It was called simply the Sa-Ka, and it was in neutral territory. It was also where we'd be staying.

  Our rooms were on the second floor, far away from the Onfre's central meeting rooms. The room that Keyno and I shared was spacious. The first things I noticed were the windows. There were five separate panes, each four feet tall and shaped like petals. They were randomly grouped together. The walls in the room were painted a light gray but shimmered when light struck them. But the massive bed, that was something I've never seen before. It sat on a dark gray pedestal that was waist high on me. In the middle of the platform and clearly visible was an area that was cut out and white stairs placed. They spiraled upward and off to the left side of the bed. An entrance platform was level with the mattress with two feet high clear walls built on all sides of the bed.

  A silvery-gray bedspread and white fluffy pillows could be seen through the clear walls framing the bed. Across the room was a floor-to-ceiling slate gray storage area for our clothes and other personal items. A small round table with two open-backed chairs was situated near the bed.

  "Wow. Just wow."

  "Impressive, isn't it?" Keyno nudged me. "Have you looked at the main light source yet?"

  "Huh?"

  "Look up."

  I glanced upward. From the dark silvery ceiling hung three rather long tear-shaped white lights. "Holy cow. I'm running out of words to express this place."

  The room surprised me, because everything I'd seen so far on Onfre (which, admittedly, wasn't much) had been both industrial and minimalistic.

  Once we'd unpacked, we met Ti in the Sa-Ka's gardens for a quick meal. I spotted Colt; he was standing slightly behind Ti.

  "Greetings, my friends." Ti bowed slightly as our little group approached the table. "Please be seated, and I'll tell you of the activities that are planned for the next two days."

  Ti had a couple of matches featuring Keyno and himself planned for that afternoon. Since they were so evenly matched, the winner would be whoever won the best of three matches. I was less interested in that than in watching how Ti and Colt interacted. While there was still an air of menace around Colt, it melted whenever Ti touched him. Damn, he looks happy.

  We ate and then returned to our rooms so that Keyno, who had dressed more formally than I had, could change. Then we began exploring the grounds around the Sa-Ka. The land was mountainous with small streams that ran down a rock face toward a pool at the center of the gardens. Surrounding the pool was a dense thicket of shrubs with prickly leaves exploding in a riot of color, their fragrance reminiscent of honeysuckle.

  "God, it's beautiful here, isn't it?" I walked over to a stone bench that looked like black marble.

  "Peaceful, too." Keyno gazed at the gardens and then leaned down to kiss me. "I'm glad we could share this together. This is a big step for our people, and it all started with you asking Ti to join us for a meal."

  "Hey, you were the one who offered assistance to Ti when he was attacked." I laughed. "I think that was a bigger deal than asking him to eat with us."

  "Dale, you offered sustenance to one who was considered an enemy, despite a truce. My helping him was part of the treaty. You, my mate, offered friendship."

  "Oh. Oh, damn, I didn't know." I stared wide-eyed at Keyno. "I really didn't think a meal was that big a deal. No wonder everyone looked at me like I'd lost my mind."

  "You started a true peace between our people with just one act of kindness," Keyno said as I stared at him in shock. "Let's go back to our room so I can prepare for the coming battles."

  "Matches—they're called matches, Keyno." I shook my head as we walked back to our room.

  Nearly two hours later, Ti came to get us, and we headed to an open-air venue a short walking distance from the main part of the city. An enormous semicircular building was spread out in front of us with tiered seating. There were several designated areas spread out across the floor of the amphitheatre. This was where all the matches would be held. Colt was waiting for us at the area where wrestling matches were to be held. The first contest was between Ti and Keyno; that ended in a tie, possibly since they were both were so close in height, weight, and skill. While they took a break, Chad and I walked over to another section set up with sharp bladed instruments. We watched Gibor, who'd entered a knife-throwing match that had him competing against another Onfre. Doc, John, and Colt stayed to wait for Keyno's second match to start.

  "This has been pretty cool, don't you think?" Chad asked as we drew closer to where Gibor was competing. A couple of Ti's security guards accompanied us, although we hadn't been told why. They'd explained the rules of the knife competition Gibor was in, though, which was helpful. "Colt seems like he's settling in pretty good, huh?"

  "Actually, yeah, this has been pretty fun. And yeah, he has the same look about him that you and John do, Chad." And that I probably do, too. "He looks happy."

  Gibor did pretty well; he made it to round two. Chad wanted to stay and watch Gibor, so one guard stayed with him and another returned with me. As my guard and I arrived, Doc decided to enter a sharpshooting contest using a weapon that looked like a bow, so he, John, and their guard left. I came back just in time; Keyn
o's second match was due to start any minute.

  If I was completely honest with myself, I was a little glad that I had a guard with me, because not all the stares I received were friendly ones. My guard kept one hand on his weapon, making it clear that he wouldn't tolerate aggression. I didn't even want to imagine Keyno's reaction if anyone tried to hurt me.

  Keyno's second match involved the hast. Ti claimed that he was trained to use it, too. Keyno was Champion-level; I didn't know what level Ti was, but, after watching him for a few minutes, I had an idea that Keyno might have met his match. One thing that I knew for sure after watching them battle for twenty minutes—I was nowhere near as good as they were. Even Colt commented that he didn't have the skills that they had, which was saying a lot.

  I noticed that Colt kept shifting from foot to foot. Finally, I looked at him. "What?"

  "You okay with being here alone with me, esse?"

  I stared at him for a moment. "Are you happy with Ti?"

  "Si," Colt said, nodding. "He gives me somethin' I never admitted I needed."

  "Then, yeah, I'm okay with being around you. And that 'something' you needed? It's called love, Colt, and it comes in many different forms."

  Colt's dark eyebrows drew together as he stared at me, and he shook his head.

  "Nah, I knew what love was before I met him. Why you think I offed those men after they gunned down mi madre y mi hermana? Nah..." Colt spit on the ground, and when he raised his dark eyes to my face, they were burning, lit from within by a fiery passion that was so all-consuming and incomprehensible that I took two steps back before I even thought about it. He laughed softly. "It ain't love that I'm gettin'."

  "I don't understand," I whispered, forcing myself to stay. I would not run from him.

  "It isn't somethin' I can explain to you." Colt frowned even harder as he thought about it. His dark eyes continued to burn with an unholy light as he stretched skyward, his shirt riding up. He was still covered with tattoos. Ti had left him just as he was, then, and hadn't insisted on laser treatments to remove the incriminating marks proving that Colt had been both a gang member and a prisoner on Death Row before he was harvested. Colt cleared his throat and my eyes snapped back up to his face.

  "I'd have to... show it to you." Colt smirked.

  "We are still talking about what you get from Ti, right?" I asked hesitantly.

  Colt laughed. "Yeah, but it's makin' you uncomfortable, so—"

  "No!" I put a hand on his arm. "No, I want to understand. I do."

  Colt appraised me again, and then nodded. "You really think your pussycat would let you loose after dark?"

  Now it was my turn to frown. "Whatever it is you want to show me, couldn't Keyno see it, too?"

  Colt's eyes widened, and then he laughed for real—a joyful sound that caught me off guard.

  "Yeah," he said, amused. "Bring him with you. That'd be perfect. Let him see just what it is I get from his..."

  "Friend," I volunteered, since Colt seemed to be at a loss as to what his mate was to mine.

  I couldn't describe the look on Colt's face. "Yeah," he said, drawing the word out. He stretched again, stepping away from me to suddenly drop down, spin, and deliver a low sweep with his left leg that, had he still been next to me, would have taken me down. He popped back up, his thick, muscled body strangely graceful.

  "You okay here? I gotta to go register to fight."

  I frowned in utter confusion. "Huh?"

  "You want to see what I get from Ti, right? Well, to show you later on, I'll have to fight now," he said, continuing to stretch. He leaned toward me, his mouth so close to my ear I could feel the heat of his breath. "And if you want to make some money, hombre, bet against me, 'cause I'm gonna lose."

  Okay, now I was really confused. "Why would you—"

  The look he shot me made me swallow the rest of my question. He grabbed one of the programs showing the day's events and scribbled what looked like a rudimentary map on it. "Tonight, after the dinner we're havin' in honor of your visit, you bring your mate here. I promise you'll both see exactly what I get from Ti that I need." He laughed again, but ruefully. Then he pushed the paper into my hand.

  "Colt, is this going to upset me?"

  His dark eyes locked onto mine and, again, his face had the unholy fervor of a man being consumed by fire from within. "Yah, mijo, it'll probably upset you, true 'nuff. It ain't always pretty, what I need. It can get kinda rough, even. You change your mind about wantin' to see it, don't tell your pussycat, and burn that." He turned away from me.

  "Wait!" I reached for him. "Where are you going?"

  He turned back, a real smile on his face, and my breath caught. He was fantastically gorgeous, I realized, all high cheekbones, hypnotic dark eyes, and lush, full lips. "I'm gonna register to fight, hombre. Now that the idea's in my head, I gotta do it."

  I watched him walk away and then stared down at the map in my hands. As curious as I was about Colt and Ti's strange relationship, I wasn't sure that I wanted to see just what Colt so desperately needed from the Onfre starship captain. A roar from the crowd brought my attention back to the match, and I turned back to where our mates were still battling.

  The match ended when Keyno disarmed Ti with a move that sent Ti's hast flying across the ring. I was stunned to hear many of the Onfre cheering for Keyno.

  Ti's father had had a tent set up so we would be protected from the sun. It was about a foot off the ground and had a rail that ran in the front of the tent. I walked to the tent and stood at the rail, watching Keyno walk toward me, his stride long and powerful. The match had stirred the warrior in him; I could see it in his face.

  A tingle started at my tail bone and crept up my spine until it finally nailed me in the back of the head. Christ, he's magnificent. So strong, so sexy... and mine.

  "Keyno..." I moaned softly.

  He grabbed me by the waist, lifted me over the rail, and slammed his mouth down on mine. The blood left my head and headed straight to my cock as I groaned into his mouth. The lust that poured off of him made me dizzy. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I met him with everything I had; all the love and passion I had for him came pouring out. The roar of the crowd faded. I lost myself as his tongue dueled with mine until I gave way. He growled in triumph at my submissive, throaty moans and ravished my mouth with his lips and tongue. Raising his head, he looked at me for a second, then threw his head back and roared—a primal call if I ever heard one. I leaned my head onto his chest and sighed quietly, a small smile flirting around my lips.

  "Very subtle," I snickered from the confines of his arms. "Why not just stamp the word 'mine' in bold letters across my forehead?"

  "No need." Keyno stared at me, the heat of battle fading from his eyes. "What do you think the tattoos on your neck represent?"

  "Damned sneaky alien," I mumbled as Keyno lifted me back across the rail, a satisfied smirk on his face. "What? The necklace around my throat isn't enough?"

  "I don't want there to be any mistake as to who you belong to, my chosen."

  "After that little display, I think everyone got the idea loud and clear."

  Chapter Nineteen

  Keyno and Ti returned to fight their last round. Ti won the round and the match was declared a draw, which seemed to satisfy them both. Ti, Colt, Keyno, and I walked over to watch Gibor, who was just finishing up his competition. He placed fifth and was pleased. Then we went to find Doc and John. Doc was surrounded by several Onfre who were congratulating him on placing second in his match with the bow.

  Ti was surprised when Colt's name was called for a match. "You're fighting, my mate?"

  "Yeah, couldn't resist."

  We followed Colt to his match and were seated next to Ti. Ti smiled and shook his head when the opponent for Colt was announced. "I feel sorry for Kydan. Colt's fighting style is unlike anything our kind is familiar with. Even though we have tails, Colt's limbs move so quickly and unpredictably that it's like fighting two opponents, not o
ne. Kydan is about to have a very bad day."

  The pride in Ti's voice was evident. I felt sick. Colt had told me to bet against him. Not that I had—I didn't bet on any of the matches—but Ti was very sure Colt would wipe the floor with this guy. I knew Colt wasn't going to do his best.

  As the match started, I understood Ti's pride and confidence in his mate. Colt fought bare-chested in a pair of free-flowing black pants, his tattoos gleaming and rippling over the surface of his coffee-colored skin. Kydan tried to circle Colt—to size Colt up, I thought—but Colt didn't wait for Kydan to attack; he surged forward with lightning-fast preemptive strikes aimed at his competitor's most vulnerable points: his eyes, jaw, throat, groin, and knees. I winced, but Keyno hummed in approval.

  "Vicious, isn't he?" Ti murmured. I could actually hear the sexual heat in his voice.

  "My mate had little problem subduing him," Keyno proclaimed.

  The reminder of my very lucky kick in the corridor of the starship was a subtle jab I wished to hell that Keyno hadn't brought up, because, just at that moment, Kydan broke through Colt's guard, delivering a hard combination of blows to his head. Colt stumbled back several steps, bending at the waist as though he was dizzy. Kydan rushed him, grabbing his head as if he meant to knee him in the face. Colt grabbed Kydan's knee before it could connect, all the muscles in his arms, shoulders, and back bulging and flexing as he jerked his rival's leg violently upward, throwing them both off balance. The two crashed to the mat with a thunderous sound.

  We all strained forward to get a better view. Beside us, Ti hissed a strange, sibilant pulse of sounds as Colt and Kydan wrestled on the mat. I wondered if I was hearing Onfre curse words. Colt had Kydan's knee in a joint-lock, but Kydan had Colt in a headlock. Each kept applying pressure and wrenching the other back and forth, trying to incapacitate his rival or get free.