“The planetoid you flew to?” Lirid asked.
“Yes. I found some long-range photos taken by a satellite. At first I didn’t see anything interesting, but then I started comparing photos taken from the same area, only a few hours apart. And then I saw them: blue dots, a herd of some kind, moving in the northern hemisphere. I had no idea what I was looking at exactly, but I was intrigued. When one of our research vessels passed the planetoid, I asked a friend of mine who was on board to acquire some feces samples for me from the area. I analyzed the samples in the lab and concluded that most of it emanated from known mammals. Except for one sample. There was a twenty-five percent match to Myrbyn beasts. So, I put two and two together.”
Mitha crossed his arms. “You believed that the blue spots on the photos were a herd of Marban beasts, that they weren’t extinct.”
Lucas nodded. “I didn’t have conclusive evidence yet, but I was so excited that I presented my theory to my supervisor. He told me he would look into it and get back to me. Then one evening, months later, I was working late and I overheard my supervisor having a conversation. I only heard pieces, but it seemed like he had sold my data.”
“Why didn’t you come to us with this information?” Kat asked.
Lucas snorted. “And then what? It was my word against that of a very distinguished professor. And what if I had imagined it all? I would have ruined my career. I didn’t want to bother you with my problems until I was absolutely certain my theory was valid. So I took a cruiser and flew to the planetoid myself to find proof that Marban beasts really still existed. But I was too late. There was already a ship in orbit, and when a shuttle returned from the surface and the ship left, I decided to follow it.”
“To Blackway space station,” Lirid concluded.
“Yeah. When I was snooping around, the Zzjitzzeëns caught me. Well, at least I had my proof Marban beasts weren’t extinct. They were planning to auction them off, and me too. Meanwhile, I was forced to take care of them. Not that I minded. Those animals are majestic, but so gentle. They are amazing. We need to protect them.”
“We will make sure that happens,” Lirid promised. “As soon as we get back to Cassidiri, your supervisor will be arrested and we’ll turn that planetoid into a reserve. No one will ever harm them again. I give you my word.”
“Thanks, Lirid,” Lucas said with a thankful smile on his face. “And I’d like to do so some more research. Maybe I can find out how they ended up on that planetoid in the first place. That’s a big mystery.”
Kat laughed. That was so typical: Lucas thinking about work when he had just been rescued from captivity and slavery.
“I’m so happy to have you back, Lucas. You scared us so much.” She patted his hand, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
“And I’m grateful you came for me,” he replied softly, slapping his other hand on hers. “Now don’t get all mushy on me. I’m fine. Really.”
“Well, gentlemen, it’s been an exhausting day. I think we could all use some rest now. I surely could.” She kissed Lucas on his forehead. “Get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Kat glanced over to Lirid and Mitha. “That also applies to the two of you. Good night, guys.”
“Have fun with your demon,” Lucas called out after her when Kat walked away. “I want to hear details tomorrow: positions, duration and frequency. For research purposes only, of course. I’m not a perv.”
Without looking back, she flipped him the bird.
Chapter 22
To Kat’s total astonishment Dykan opened the door to his quarters fully and utterly in the buff. Not expecting the sight of his perfectly sculpted naked body standing in the doorway—a faint bruise coloring his ribs—Kat was so flabbergasted she could only eyeball him. And drool. Yep, there was a lot of drooling taking place.
He flung his arms around her waist and pulled her in, the door closing automatically behind her.
“What…” Kat croaked and she cleared her throat. “What if someone else had been at your door?”
Dykan shrugged. “Makaen males don’t have a problem with nudity. I have nothing my crew hasn’t seen before, and vice versa.”
“Right,” Kat drew out. “And…um…are you naked for any particular reason?” She licked her dry lips.
“I was going to bathe, but then I thought you might like to join me. So I waited for you.”
In one movement, he unzipped her jacket and pulled it down. Kat gave a little shriek when he ripped the dress off her body like it was paper, using his claws.
“Maybe Selvin wanted that dress back,” she protested, seeing the flimsy material fall to the floor.
“I doubt it. And besides, his mother will buy him a new one.”
Dykan bent down and picked her up.
“I want to get the scent of all the other males off you as soon as possible. That smell drives me mad.” His voice was low, almost a rumble.
In a few quick strides, he entered the bathing cubicle and stepped with Kat into the shower. He lowered her to her feet as he turned on the water and moved his hand under the soap dispenser. He washed his face and hair, washing away all the blood and gore, then ran his soap-covered hands over her wet body.
“This feels so good,” Kat moaned as she pressed her back against Dykan’s chest and he massaged her full breasts. One of his hands roamed lower and slid between her legs. His fingers caressed the insides of her folds, making Kat squirm with delight. She gasped when two of his digits entered her while his thumb stroked her clit.
With her own soapy hand, she reached between them and circled his erection with her fingers, rubbing his hard length up and down and sliding her palm over the slick top.
“I want to make you feel even better,” he whispered hoarsely in her ear. “Turn around.”
Kat did as he commanded. Looking up at him, she saw his need for her glowing in his eyes. Dykan placed his hands on the sides of her face and bent down. Then he gently rubbed the bumps on his forehead against her temples.
“What are you doing?” Kat breathed.
“The horns are my roaks, and they secrete pheromones. I’m sharing my pheromones with you,” he replied. “Just a small amount.”
It wasn’t what Dykan had planned to do when he had taken Kat into the bathing cubicle, but it was something he certainly wanted to do now. He wanted to share this part of himself with his Kitten. Aside from the bonding, this was the most intimate a Makaen male could get with a female. He scolded himself for ever using his roaks on a one-night-stand. This was how it should be, how it should feel.
“What are your pheromones supposed to do?” Kat asked.
“With a little luck, my pheromones will make everything feel so much better,” he answered somewhat vaguely. Frankly, he didn’t know if Kat would sense anything different. Maybe his roaks wouldn’t work on her species.
Dykan pushed Kat against the wall and lifted her up. In one move he lowered her on his cock. She gasped when he entered her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist making him go in even deeper. He held on to her thighs as he thrust into her, slowly at first but going faster with every groan of pleasure escaping Kat’s mouth.