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Planet Mardu, the Vrail System

A cautious glance around her showed Erin she'd picked the right establishment. Raucous music and drunken carousing made it nearly impossible to hear anything anyone said. The illegal haze of popper smoke sat over the din like a blanket of obscurity, and the intentional darkness in the gaming bar more than told her the law was just as welcome, as say, someone like her. Not at all.

Furtively keeping to the deepest shadows in the place, she kept her eyes open for the one person she'd been guaranteed could help her. The prisoners on Eyra had assured her that for the right price, Cheltam would do anything. And if it meant crossing System law, so much the better.

Studying the slop of a watering hole, she had less and less confidence in the infamous Cheltam. Unwashed, hard looking men and women dotted the area. Shockingly, couples engaged in sex wherever and whenever they pleased, while others placed bets on anything from vid-displayed threll races to which woman over the bar would orgasm first. Not the best place to find herself a saviour. But with no other option, Erin would do what she had to in order to survive. A large body bumped her, and as she turned to apologise, the sight that met her stunned her into silence.

A large male shoved his trousers to his knees. He stood between the naked thighs of a heavily made-up female, one currently moaning and groaning as the male latched onto one of her bared breasts with a slick, open mouth. Slurping and sucking noises grew, grunts and straining flesh pressed at each other in odd places, and to her surprise, Erin felt heat rush to her face. What? I'm surprised? Embarrassed? Another thought occurred to her. I'm sexually aroused?

Curious, as she'd never before felt the sensation, she watched the couple slam up against the wall, oblivious to their audience. The male pressed into the female, and without further pause gave in to her demands. He lifted her against the wall, wrapped her legs around his waist, then... Erin and several others shifted to get a better look. The male gripped something between his legs, probably his penis, and shoved inside the female with a long, drawn out groan.

They moved against one another, and the male began pumping his hips. The joining ended rather quickly, with the male's sudden stillness, a groan, and the female's cries for more. Much like an animal coupling, Erin thought, no longer intrigued by the act itself. The pleasure the male appeared to have received, however, made her curious. In all her studies, she'd never quite exhausted human reproduction. Oh, she had the basics from books and such, and her sister was a font of information, but a live demonstration had been deliberately avoided. Even her schooling on the subject had been brief. Why had Canunn left off that part of her education? And why had Synster been so adamant to instruct her in the act? Was this male's pleasure the reason her Handler constantly looked at her so oddly?

And why am I wasting time on this crap when I have more important things to do? Like keep my damned neck out of a peacemaker's collar? Disgusted with her rampant curiosity, which, if she weren't careful, would be the death of her, Erin bypassed the ragged couple and sought the tall, scarred man she'd been told would lead her to Cheltam.

Trying to make herself appear much smaller, she hunched her shoulders, tucked into her stolen black netter's jacket, and carefully stepped through the bar, trying hard not to invite undue attention. In addition to the darkness and smoke, the long collar and drape of her jacket sufficiently covered the parts of her not encased by long trousers and a thin sleeveless shirt. Boots and gloves hid her extremities. And the dark glasses on her face hid the unusual, mismatched hues of her eyes. One glimpse at her unique colouring and System law would be all over this place. The sinful denizens around her would have to be insane to pass up the exorbitant reward Blue Rim Labs offered for information on one of their -˜scientists gone rogue'. An out and out obvious lie, but they knew she'd never tell anyone the truth...not if she wanted to live.

She grimaced at thoughts of the prison she'd recently escaped. Four hellish years, almost her entire life, spent surrounded by drab green walls and Eyran scientists. Everything had a reason. Everything, down to the last detail, was planned. Tests, tests, and more tests. Pain and numbness, followed by experiments that even now made her shudder in remembrance. And Canunn thought she would come crawling back -˜home' if given enough time in the real world?

Erin huffed and moved faster through the bar. With her brother and sister now taken care of, she had no other thought than vengeance on her mind. Too bad the law couldn't be trusted worth a damn. She glanced back over her shoulder and narrowed her gaze, calling on her second sight. In seconds the haze in the room cleared, and she plainly saw a pair of peacemakers - the ones she thought might have been following her earlier - talking to one of the huge thugs working as bar security. The guard, a Ragga, one of the System's strongest inhabitants, would be invaluable in a place like this. Very few could defeat a Ragga, and though Erin's own manufactured strength had been tested, she wasn't sure she wanted to find out if the practical application of what she'd been taught would hold.

Quickening her pace, she all but ran into the man she'd been looking for.

"Sorry." She coughed and deliberately lowered the pitch of her voice, fixated on the distinctive scar marring his left cheek. "You Drekk?"

"Maybe." The man wasn't thick enough about the torso and arms to be Ragga, but he had height and strength of presence. Something told her he could hold his own in a fight, and as she instinctively sized up a potential enemy, her body automatically readied to protect itself. It was with some effort that she maintained calm and held back her pheromones in the face of this dangerous male. Drekk's eyes were gunmetal grey and flat, the scar on his cheek pinching the corner of his mouth into an unhappy grimace. "Your contact?"

"Wheller."

Drekk stared at her a moment. Then he nodded, and she released the breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. He motioned for her to follow him, and they left out of a side door she hadn't seen when she'd previously scouted the bar. Drekk opened the door of a nondescript rover, and she hesitated before getting in. Her instincts were screaming at her not to enter the vehicle, where her defensive manoeuvres would be limited by the constrained space.

"You come with me, or you don't see him." He waited.

If she'd had anyone else she could turn to she would have. But she'd only been on the outside for four measly months, and two of them had been spent healing and evading the law. It had taken her a month to track down Cheltam, and as long to find a ship to stow away in to Mardu. She'd made it this far. A little courage would get her where she wanted to be soon enough.

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"You didn't complain about the coya fruit last night." Drekk's bland tone contrasted with the wicked look in his eyes.

"Asshole," Ryen muttered as he attacked the plate Drekk set before him. Much as Drekk annoyed him, the jerk also amused him.

"Damn, is that a smile I see?" Drekk stared in mock astonishment.

"Cut it out." Ryen's grin grew wider.

"I think I may pass out from the shock."

"Good. Then I'll get my hands on that controller and fly out of here."

"Have fun searching for it."Drekk rubbed his chest. "I hid it on my body today."

Ryen wanted to look for it, right now. Shaking free of such thoughts, he tried to focus on his food. But as he ate, he couldn't stop glancing at Drekk's sculpted chest through the v-neck of the vest he wore. Nor could he avoid the large arms Drekk flashed as he gesticulated while he ate. The taciturn man he'd once thought Drekk to be never seemed to shut up.

Oddly, Synster's warnings of perversions and unnatural longings seemed less significant each day Ryen spent in Drekk's company. What could it hurt to indulge in some human curiosity? Drekk was a hardy male. Ryen wouldn't break him, as Drekk had said. Which made Ryen wonder what it would be like to lose control during sex, to let it all out...

"Okay. Today we work on your control." Drekk stood and put his dishes into the wash receptacle. "If you finish that mound on your plate, we'll get started."

Ryen finished his meal in record time, eager to see what Drekk had in mind - to hasten his exit out of this place, he reminded himself. "We going to lose the cuffs today?"

"You're kidding, right? You're going to need them later."

Ryen immediately went on alert. "Why?"

"See? That's why. I'm just screwing with you, and you're ready to take my head off. I'm trying to teach you a new way to live, Ryen. I can't be on my guard one hundred percent. Once you 'hit the wall', like I know you will, we'll both be glad for the cuffs."

"You keep threatening it. Just do it. Push me as hard as you can. Watch me handle it."

Ryen could taste his excitement. "I've been good the past three days, haven't I?"

Drekk shook his head. "You're not ready yet. Get over here and assume Petal One hand position." When Ryen hesitated, Drekk turned mean. "Now."

The need to obey hit him hard. Off balance, Ryen grumbled as he sat down and crossed his legs, but he had no thought to refuse. He tuned out of his surroundings and followed Drekk's instruction. Soon basking in the harmony within himself, Ryen came to a sudden realisation, one that both shocked and unnerved him. He wanted to submit to Drekk, to a male who had saved his life, but who hadn't bested him in combat. Emotionally stable and even-tempered, superior when it came to control, Drekk had yet to prove himself in an all-out fight.

Why do I want to submit now that I'm free? How fucked up am I? Uncomfortable with the truth, Ryen pulled himself from his meditative state. Drekk sat across from him, his legs crossed and his arms assuming Petal One position above his head, his hands entwined. Drekk's sluggish pulse and stillness told Ryen he'd entered a similar state of calm.

The strong column of Drekk's throat rippled when he swallowed. The scent of honeyed citrus lingered on his skin, from the blan juice he'd consumed. Muscles tanned by the harsh sun strained as he held his pose, and Ryen wanted to feel that skin under his palms. To cause the male's rosy nipples to pebble, to feel the delineated form of Drekk's abdomen as Ryen worked his way lower.

The temptation Drekk had planted, to see if sex with a male would equal what he imagined, taunted Ryen to take what he wanted. The advantage was his for the moment. With Drekk inwardly focused, Ryen could take him down. Not to harm him, but to test his friend's - the man's - reflexes. Now, when Drekk was vulnerable, Ryen could take what he needed, a warrior's right. It wouldn't be rape, he knew. Drekk had openly admitted he wanted Ryen. What better way, then, to see if Ryen returned the attraction wholeheartedly? But under Ryen's direction, not Drekk's. Ryen pounced.

He pinned Drekk underneath him in two seconds, one hand over the male's entwined hands, holding him to the ground, the other around Drekk's neck.

"One word from you and I'll disable your tongue." The angle of his fingers under Drekk's jaw meant business. "Nod if you understand."

Drekk glared and nodded.

"Good." Ryen couldn't help his arousal, nor could he miss the hardening bulge in Drekk's trousers. "I'm not going to hurt you," he mimicked. "I just need to confirm something."

Drekk remained still, curiosity warring with the anger in his gaze. Ryen didn't care. He'd danced to Drekk's tune, now it was his turn. Ryen studied Drekk's face, lingering on his lips. Wanting more, he slowly lowered his mouth. Drekk started to speak and Ryen tightened his hand.

"I know you feel my hand around your neck. I'm not playing, Drekk. Shut up and let me...do this. I need to know."

With a sigh, Drekk surrendered. The power crushing through Ryen swamped him. Heady that he'd regained control, he kissed Drekk full on the mouth. Unlike a female's soft lips, Drekk's felt firmer. Ryen plundered his mouth with a seeking tongue, tasting the sexual essence of Drekk as his excitement grew.

He ground into Drekk's belly, rubbing his cock along Drekk's while he deepened the kiss. Groaning, he loosened his hold on Drekk's throat and devoured the male. He tasted so damned good, so familiar yet foreign at the same time. Lust built into an all-consuming blaze as Ryen took and took. Drekk moaned under his assault, and it was all Ryen could do to give him some air.

He removed his hands from Drekk's throat and wrists, caught in his own game. Leaning up on one elbow, he ripped Drekk's shirt down the middle and pinched his nipples. Harder, with a roughness that made him want to burst.

"Fuck," Ryen growled and latched onto Drekk's nipple. So unlike the flesh he normally played with, the feel of solid muscle under the taut nipple aroused Ryen with its difference. No fleshy mound, but a steely plane of strength under such tender skin.

Drekk arched into his mouth and thrust against him, pushing Ryen to take more. In a frenzy, he shoved his hand down Drekk's trousers and gripped his hot cock. Drekk moaned his name.

"Oh yeah. Better." Ryen returned his attention to Drekk's chest. He bit hard. Drekk sucked in a breath and moisture beaded at the tip of his shaft. "Stop," Drekk breathed when Ryen let go of his shaft to massage his balls.

The feel of another man's shaft hard and slick for him sent Ryen over the edge. Like an animal, he tore at Drekk's clothes. He nipped and sucked, laving his way down Drekk's body, using any and all excuse to rub against his grey-eyed seducer.

"More," Ryen rasped until he captured Drekk's cock in his mouth. So fucking good... He let go of the pheromones bursting at the seams.

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Anin wrung her hands waiting for Set. She thought she'd done everything right. By the stars, Nu tasted so good. She felt on fire when she touched him, her body thrumming with an odd power when she tasted his seed. She pleasured him, but it wasn't enough. Because he hadn't expressed such pleasure? Or was there something more?

Set entered with a frown. When she saw it, she felt heartsick. She'd done her best. Perhaps she shouldn't have been so pushy? But Nu had been avoiding her since that first kiss a few days ago. Set had agreed this was the only way...

"Oh, Anin. Don't look so upset." Set smiled.

"Why were you frowning?"

"Because my brother is a stupid drun locked in the past. He still can't see that he made a mistake... Hell, never mind. I came in here to thank you."

She blinked, suffused with pleasure. "It worked?"

"Oh yeah." Set shifted and she noted his obvious arousal. Like Nu, he had rejected her subtle hints to bestow sexual pleasure. But with Set, she thought it had more to do with Nu's refusal of enjoyment. As if he wanted Nu to experience it first. "Anin? Can I ask you a question? A personal question?"

"Of course." She instinctively looked to the floor and waited.

Set stepped close, towering over her, and his power set her aflame. As usual, she had to work to control her pheromones-”a Creation's best defence. She'd been equipped with the chemical equivalent of a sex bomb. By releasing her special scent into the air, she could draw enemies to her, making them vulnerable and needy under the influence of her pheromones. At times like these, when she wanted male companionship so badly, it was all she could do to hold onto herself.

When Set's fingers cupped her chin and tilted her face up, she gasped.

His smile felt like fingers all over her sex. Wet warmth filled her, and she squirmed under his touch. "You like to serve, don't you? To submit to a master?"

"Yes." She trembled, joyous he understood.

"Your Handler. Did he rape you?"

The bluntness of his question took her aback. "Synster?" He'd been the same size as Anin, but human. Weak and snivelling. Still, she'd called him -˜Master', as she'd been trained to do since inception. "My Handler never raped me."

"So you liked sex with him?"

"No." She stared into Set's burning orange eyes, orbs full of passion, of fire. "I liked the act of sex, the intimacy it created. Synster was selfish. He never cared about my pleasure." She blushed, pleased that she'd criticised her dead Handler without remorse. "He made sure I had no thoughts of my own. But I'm learning..."

"Yes?" Set stroked her cheeks.

"I'm learning to ask for what I want."

"You liked my order to suck Nu, didn't you?" Set asked with lazy amusement.

"I did."

"But you're not satisfied. I see your tight nipples. Your quivering belly." Set palmed her mound, touching her the way she'd wished him to for weeks. "You liked tasting him, didn't you?"

"I did," she breathed, enraptured by Set's rough hand. She loved the strength in his frame, the hardy dominance bleeding through his every pore.

"But you didn't come."

"What?"

"You didn't orgasm."

She bit her lip. "Oh. I never do."

Set froze. "Never? You've never touched yourself here?"

She shook her head. "We were trained not to. I have no urge to touch the place between my legs. I've studied about sex, in several cultures actually. I know what the experience should feel like, but I can't reach it myself. Is this a great failing?" She worried Set would think less of her.

His smile was slow in coming, but it lit the room. "Then are you in for a treat, Anin. My little submissive, come with me."