Tarak
My Kayla is strong, independent, and more than capable of self-care. Later today, she and I will leave for our first voyage aboard the Firefly, where we will not be able to access Hydra's luxuries.
That is why we must do these indulgences now. From my open hand, I offer Kayla food.
She nibbles and stops eating, scrunching her nose. "Why does that taste so strange?"
"Those are cubes of meat... Sorry, Kayla, your new vet said you need a more balanced diet."
Kayla's lips curl. My Kayla might be disgusted by her food, but she eats the entire handful of meat cubes from my palm.
"You're so good for me, pet. Have a treat," I say, offering her a replica of something called chocolate from her planet.
This treat she likes so much, she licks my palm. She's a mess now, with bits of the chocolate on her nose. I carry her into the pool, bathe, and lather the scents into her soft skin. After bathing her, I dry her off with a large, fluffy towel. I take the brush and comb her beautiful hair. The fact that my Kayla chooses to let me, a scourge with a caring kink, care for her gives my mind a pleasant buzz.
Tucking an uncooperative strand of hair away from her face, I murmur in her ear. "Ready, pet?"
Kayla dresses and pulls out a backpack from under the bed. The instant I attach her leash to her collar, she makes the hand motion to open the door and takes off, stretching her leash to its full length. She is so enthusiastic she runs, not stopping until we get to the Firefly.
The moment Kayla steps into the helm, she says, "I still find it incredible that you own the Firefly. This ship must be the same size as my former ship, the Phoenix Borealis."
When she invokes the name of her former ship, I gag at the memory of the state I found her. The Phoenix was weak and weaponless, not even a proper ship. She and her crew nearly died of starvation aboard that ship.
"Kayla, how could you compare the Firefly to that death trap?"
She grips my hand. "I was talking about their sizes, Tarak. If I were comparing what it is like to live aboard the two ships, then the Firefly is far superior."
Superior. Her acknowledgment that I am providing for her in a way that is superior to her former life sends shudders through me, but I need more.
"Tell me, Kayla."
"Tell you what?"
"In what ways is the Firefly superior?"
"The technology and tools in the lab are far superior to anything we had aboard the Phoenix Borealis. We also have much more space on the Firefly."
"You said they were the same size."
"We had to share the Phoenix with over a hundred people, and we have this all to ourselves. You have done well, Commander Tarak," she says.
Her awe-filled voice sends shivers through me. The Firefly is superior and I am providing for her. I want to roar, except...
"It is only the two of us aboard the Firefly now, so I am no longer a true commander. For that, I would need a... crew."
"But you could command a crew, right?" she asks, her bright green eyes gazing at my mark and me in admiration.
My atums awaken in delight at this thought. I nuzzle her, inhaling her sweet smell. "You are such a smart pet and now my atums want to play. We must celebrate. Assume a different sexual position in every room of the ship, starting at the helm."
"Not now. We need to get to work, Tarak. Next trip, I promise."
Not now? Kayla is often eager to play with my atums. She is also the one to initiate many of our sexual activities, so why is she...
"Why not?"
"Tarak... I thought you told me we're going on a mission? Don't we have a launch time?"
"Hydra will understand."
"Next trip, Tarak? We can schedule it in advance."
Schedule it? "Is this one of those strange Earth customs?"
"Tarak..." She takes off her backpack and places it on the Commander's chair. She is so careful with her backpack, even buckling it in.
Maybe it's because we are in a different part of Hydra, a bit further away from the hum of the main engines, but there is a peculiar sound and it's coming from her bag.
Curious, I step closer.
She presses a palm against my belly and looks up at me. "Tour?"
"I've already shown you–"
"Not since you have made all your improvements."
A scent that does not belong on the Firefly prickles my nose.
I sniff. Yet again, the bag is the source of a scent that does not belong on our ship. I want to burrow my nose in that bag, give it a good shake, and toss it in the air.
She curls her hand around my fingers. "Show me?"
I turn toward the bag. "Go ahead. I will join you in a moment."
She looks up at me with pleading eyes. "Please?"
Her eagerness is so adorable. How can I resist? I let her lead me deeper into the ship.
Firefly's rooms, compared to the immensity of Hydra, are small. Yet as we stroll through the section of the ship allocated to our living quarters, Kayla shrieks in excitement.
"You've made so many improvements. There must be at least ten separate rooms, which means... We could have a crew."
My chest swells with pride. I am providing for my Kayla.
I press my hand in the middle of my mate's chest where her shirt hides her beautiful soul mark. "Is having a crew important to you?"
She rakes her fingers across my ribs, sending a burst of warm tingles through my skin. "I would like to see you command."
"For our next trip, I will request Hydra give us a small crew."
"Tarak, what if... What if I told you there is someone already in need of a crew?"
"Someone needs a crew?"
"I... I need to show you something. Let's step into the lab."
***
The lab is where Kayla shines. She often becomes excited, speaking so fast that the wall translator can barely keep up with her.
This time, however, when we step into the lab, through our bond, I can feel a shift in her mood: a reticence.
"I should have told you before, but things got busy... Wall unit, show the files for the human pet named Ava."
A picture of a young female human with mottled skin, like the prominent blue and black mark on her cheek, appears on the wall.
"This is Ava. We've encountered her in the pet park before. She was Loviatar's pet, and..." Kayla is talking about Hydra and deadlines.
I can't focus on anything Kayla says, not while I'm gripped by our bond sending pulse after pulse of her anxiety. It bites, and it's so big it threatens to swallow her.
I embrace her, my large body covering every part of my little human. "What is worrying you like this? Is it Loviatar?" I slam my tail on the floor at the memory of how he hurt my Kayla. "I can go to the hospital, drag him out by his broken legs, and snap them again! Will that make you happy?" I ask, smooching the top of her head. "Or I can... Do you want me to kill him for you?"
"No, I..." My Kayla is doing that shaky thing and her eyes are leaking. Crying.
I inhale deeply, scenting her hair and her skin. "Tell me, Kayla. What can I do to make the sadness and worry inside you go away?"
She wipes away her tears and indicates the image of the human on the wall. "Ava doesn't have much time until her evaluation, and if she doesn't pass, Hydra will destroy her. If she could come with us, maybe we could..."
"Kayla, what do you need from me? Tell me."
"Permission to bring her aboard as crew, Commander Tarak?"
Commander. When Kayla says the word, it sends shivers up my spine, awakening my atums that threaten to break out of my pants.
"Yes. I want to help the human. She is crew." It's true. I could never deny helping a pet in need. My jiggling atums remind me of a more pressing topic. "Kayla, the atums need to play. What do you say to us assuming a different sexual position in every room of the ship, starting with the lab bench?"
"I... I do like your tentacles... Wall unit, how much time do we have until launch?"
"An estimated Earth hour."
"An entire hour. Why didn't you say that before," she says in a hoarse voice, and palms my groin. "We at least have time for a quickie..." Her bright green eyes have a playful spark, and she shouts. "Unleash the atums!"
My atums bust out and undress me. It's not enough; my atums slither into Kayla's flight suit. Moments later, her flight suit, panties, socks, and shoes ... I don't know, exactly, other than my atums are having fun twirling and tossing them into every corner of the room.
"Need you, Tarak, I need..."
Our connection is like a live wire, sizzling and crackling. Her life energy slams into me, clawing at me, demanding that I...
My atums seize Kayla by her arms and slam my laughing Kyla onto the lab bench. My atums wrap around the places my Kayla loves: her wrists, her ankles, spreading her wide for us.
"Tarak, I need... I need..."
Her life energy burns my mark with its demands. I know what she wants. I cannot resist the game of making her wait.
"Atums, play with our Kayla's... peaches..."
She throws her head back. "Tarak!"
She bucks under me, and I can no longer resist. I mount her, thrusting in and out of her needy, fluttering hole that clenches around my shaft.
"Tarak, I... I..."
She screams, reaching her climax, and I roar in victory.
My Kayla is already floating, and I embrace her. I don't think we have much time left, but yet again, my Kayla surprises me.
"Again?"
***
We've done it another three times. My Kayla is now resting in her post-coital bliss on my chest.
"Abnormalities detected in the helm," says the wall unit.
"Wall unit, explain."
"Presence detected near the vent in the helm."
I gently move my Kayla, laying her body on the lab bench. My atums stretch throughout the lab, retrieving and throwing on my clothes.
"What's happening," says Kayla, sitting up.
"There's an abnormality in the helm. I must investigate."
"Tarak, hold on. We still need to talk. I have more to tell you, and... Have you seen my shirt?"
"After my investigation."
"Tarak, wait—"
The door slams, and I stomp to the helm.
The moment I arrive at the helm, I sense the change. Kayla's bag still sits on the chair. The scent, however—the one that came from her bag—is stronger.
Kayla stands before me, blocking my view of the backpack. Her flight suit is wrinkled, oddly hanging off her. Is it backward?
"I can explain," she says, waving her hand at the bag.
"Kayla," I say, trying to look around her. "How did your bag open?"
"Kayla?" says a voice from Firefly's open hatch.
It's Rigel, stepping onto the ship.
How dare the horrid bird encroach on my territory.
I run at him, snarling. "Get off my ship!"
There is a human cry.
Rigel is holding a leash attached to a human whose heartbeat is so loud I cannot concentrate. The human backs away, bumping up against the helm wall, shaking and cowering behind Rigel.
Rigel's wings spread out, and I can no longer see the scared human. Rigel looks like a bird of prey about to attack.
It is as if I am in a long tunnel, and Rigel is in my territory; I need to shove Rigel out.
"Get out," I roar at Rigel.
I bang my tail. If he takes another step forward, I will tear him apart.
"I'm here, Tarak. I am yours and you are mine," says Kayla, pressing into my side.
Somehow through the haze, my hand finds Kayla's cool collar and splays over the nape of her neck.
Her galloping pulse makes my fingertips tingle with each and every heartbeat, grounding me. My Kayla lives. She lives!
"...you are mine and I am yours," she repeats, pressing her warm palm against my side. "Do you think you can calm yourself? You are scaring Ava. She's crew, remember?"
I stroke Kayla's soft skin, scenting her.
My vision widens. Once again, I see the world, and the warmth is gone from my side.
My beautiful Kayla stands before the quaking human, Ava, the one whose heart sounds as if it might explode. She's calling to her, and extending a hand.
The small human, Ava, is the one who needs help now, and my Kayla is helping her.
Even if Ava the human is terrified of me, with the help of Kayla, we can keep her safe. I go to the ship's open hatch, positioning myself in front of it and guarding the ship's entrance. No other scourges will enter. Not on my watch.