Storm World Ch. 06

As soon as Benjamin's hand was centered under the plate the machine chimed and a light came on. The screen began rapidly scrolling text and then a hologram appeared, detailing the bones of his fingers. The fractures were clearly visible, but the machine highlighted them with a red tint, showing even the small stress lines.

"It feels a little warm," Benjamin said. It sounded as if he were nervous and his scent had changed, though, she could not be sure why he would be feeling stress at so simple a procedure.

Suddenly, the underside of the plate began to glow, bathing Benjamin's hand in soft blue light. Benjamin licked his lips and seemed to have to force himself to stay still. The machine let out a soft, high-pitched hum and Benjamin bit his lower lip. Sweat broke out on his forehead, but he remained silent. Only a tick at the corner of his eye let on that he was in pain. Time seemed to drag as Ima` Nef`Tn all but held her breath, wondering if the machine were doing damage rather than healing the wound. Watching the hologram she could see as the bones began to fuse back together. Gradually the small lines disappeared and then the larger breaks began to shrink. As soon as the last fracture fused Benjamin yanked his hand from under the plate, flexing his fingers and taking in a sharp breath.

"Christ!" he snarled. In English he went on, "I hate that. No numbing. No fine calibration at all. Not good for the power cell, either. Takes more juice."

"Are you alright, Benjamin?" she asked, her large, dark green eyes full of concern.

"What?" he asked, blinking. "Oh. It just hurts when the machine does that. I will be fine in a minute."

Gently she took his hand in both of hers and massaged it. Benjamin watched uncertainly at first and then relaxed a bit. Her strong fingers rubbed the cramps away and loosened his knuckles. It felt really nice. He blinked when she brought his fingers to her cheek and rubbed her soft fur over them almost the way a housecat might. About then he realized she was purring.

"It feels better," he whispered, but he did not pull away.

The concern in Ima` Nef`Tn's eyes was replaced by something else. Her expression softened and she pulled on Benjamin's hand, drawing it to her breast as she leaned closer and pressed her lips to his. Benjamin did not stop her. Her lips were warm and soft. Her breast, small and firm and very pleasant under his hand. With only a little hesitation he reached out, placed his left hand on her hip and pulled her into his lap. Her purring increased in volume and her tail lashed languidly. Benjamin could feel the thrumming vibration of her purr in his chest. Finally, Ima` Nef`Tn broke the kiss, though she kept her mouth very close to his.

"We need a private place, Ben `Jamin," she said in a husky whisper. "Away from the others."

At first Benjamin could not get his brain to work. It had been far, far too long since he had been with a woman. His lips returned to hers and she eagerly accepted, but Ima` Nef`Tn knew what she wanted. She pushed him back and held his chin up so that he had to look her in the eyes.

"Privacy," croaked Benjamin, blinking at the whirl of emotions cascading through him. "Right. Somewhere private."

His mind raced down paths he had not thought of in years. Where could they be private? His bed was just around the corner not ten meters away, but the other aliens were in the main chamber. That wouldn't be private at all. The shower room was trashed and there was no place to lie down, anyway.

"Wait a second!" he said and planted a quick kiss on her lips before easing her out of his lap.

Ima` Nef`Tn smiled uncertainly at Benjamin as he cast about among the boxes, apparently searching for something. She had not understood his words, but she did not question him. She had made her decision instinctively on the spur of the moment and she had full intention of sticking by it. Her greatest concern was the possibility that Commander M`peth qHo would come looking for them. If the commander could not find them, though, she could not object or interrupt.

"This is it!" Benjamin said excitedly, pulling a tube as long as his leg from a box in the corner. There was a narrow strap attached and he slung the tube over his shoulder like a rifle. Grinning he held out his hand to her. "Come on!"

Taking his hand eagerly she followed him out of the enclosure to the back of the cave. The roof dropped and the walls closed in as they got further from the main chamber. She half expected Benjamin to take the narrow chimney down to the lower level again, but he continued past it into the growing dark. His steps never faltered as he led the way, though. Ima` Nef`Tn felt her pulse racing with excitement the way it had many times when as children she and her sisters snuck out of their parents' home to misbehave in the woods at night.

"This way!" Benjamin said, tugging her hand and leading her down a new tunnel. The floor was dropping away on a gradual decline and it was not as smooth as the other tunnels she had seen thus far.

"It is dark, Ben `Jamin," she said merrily, almost laughing. "Will we be able to see?"

"Yes," he chuckled. "A little further. You will like this place."

The darkness was complete by the time Benjamin rounded a corner. Even Ima` Nef`Tn's keen eyes could not see. Benjamin slowed his pace, feeling his way with his free hand.

"Duck your head," he said and pulled her along in a crouch for a short way.

Ima` Nef`Tn put her free hand on the top of her head between her ears as they proceeded, nervous of sharp protrusions. Slowly she realized there was a dim glow ahead. The low tunnel gave way to a vaulting chamber revealed in the light from a narrow patch of glowing moss that descended the far wall, following a steady runnel of water. The two of them had to hop down a Jiq`a* to the chamber floor, but the floor was more or less smooth and flat. Only a few stones lay about and there was a trickle of a stream that flowed silently from the bottom of the mossy line to a shadowed split at the back of the chamber. High overhead she could see reflected flashes of lightning on the stone, but there was no view of the sky. The sound of distant thunder and wind rumbled and sighed down to them.

"This is beautiful," she whispered as if afraid to disturb the atmosphere.

"You are beautiful," Benjamin said, pulling her into his arms. He smiled softly and kissed her.

They embraced, holding that kiss for a long, pleasurable time. Almost reluctantly, Benjamin drew back, disengaging from her arms. She frowned a puzzled little frown, but waited with as much patience as she could muster. Benjamin took the tube from his shoulder and popped a clasp on one end. From the tube he slid some sort of soft mass. With a flick of his wrists he unfurled this like a blanket. Before it settle to the floor the thing inflated, revealing itself to be a large air mattress.

*****

"Very well, Gunner," said M`peth qHo, relieved the confrontation had gone as smoothly as it had. "Up that tunnel is a large block of stone impeding passage. I want you and TaH `Kiy mTh to clear it out of the way. Not far from this lower opening there is a space where the tunnel widens. Place the block there. You will not need to move it far, but it is heavy. Be careful and get it moved."

"Yes, Commander," Chep `Urt vEss said and strode off to get the job done.

As she turned to go back to the table where Liat `del Qha and Tem l`eth tong were working with the computer she caught sight of Benjamin and Ima` Nef`Tn trotting hand in hand into the shadows at the back of the cave. There was something furtive to their postures and the way they moved.

"What are they up to?" M`peth qHo wondered aloud.

She glanced at the two crewmembers stooped over the computer and decided they had things well enough in hand for the moment. Quietly the commander slipped between the enclosures and followed the Human and dTel`Qohar.

"What in the name of the Armored God is that girl doing?" she whispered as she reached the turning where Benjamin had left the main chamber. There was a mixture of scents: Apprehension, fear, a trace of battle musk (or perhaps that was a Human scent) but the strongest was...

"Desire?" M`peth qHo whispered to herself.

Instantly her mind jolted back to a meeting she had had with her superiors. Special instructions and a mission outline had been imparted. By command of Admiral Aka'Tem'al himself, she had been selected to participate in an experiment to determine if Humans could work with jZav`Etch in common cause. Before she could be reassigned, though, the crisis of the stolen data had dropped in her lap. She did not have a complete mission briefing, but she knew that one component was to observe how Human males interacted with jZav`Etch females.

"But Ben `Jamin is not sane," she murmured, uneasy in her mind.

She hesitated, unable to decide what to do. It felt wrong for her to observe the pair in such an intimate situation. Orders were orders, though. Perhaps it was somehow necessary. She flicked her ears and pinched her lower lip in thought. There was much to do and much to learn about the current situation and she needed Benjamin's help if she were going to trek out onto the island. If she interfered with the two of them, would he still be willing to cooperate? She was about to return to the computer table and see what Liat `del Qha and Tem l`eth tong had discovered when another thought struck her.

"Ima` Nef`Tn might not be safe alone with Ben `Jamin," she said.

That decided her. Proper or not, M`peth qHo had a responsibility to keep those under her command safe. She sniffed the air and followed the tunnel down into darkness. Quiet descended on her, relieved only by the faintest sound of padding feet and a few snickers. It sounded like the two were enjoying themselves, at any rate.

The scent of Ima` Nef`Tn's desire grew stronger as the tunnel narrowed. M`peth qHo was finding it slightly unsettling. Her own instincts began to twinge, causing her to reconsider what she was doing, but she reminded herself she had to keep an eye on Benjamin for Ima` Nef`Tn's sake. It was a shock when she struck her head on the ceiling. Off balance in the middle of a stride, she dropped ignobly on her rump, her hand going to the top of her head where the stone had made contact.

"Forger and Builder!" she hissed softly. Was she bleeding? It didn't feel like it, but her fur was damp and how could she be certain? It was almost too tempting to switch on her hand lamp, but that would give away her presence if her clumsiness had not already done so. She sat there massaging her head, trying to reorient herself in the darkness. A gentle, almost imperceptible current of air brought the scent of Ima` Nef`Tn's desire to her. She rose in a crouch and resumed her pursuit more cautiously.

The scent led her around a corner into a narrower and lower passage at the end of which was a dim light. One silent step at a time she approached that light. Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Ima` Nef`Tn pressing her lips to Benjamin's. The pair held each other in an intimate embrace, his hands on her waist and hers around his ribs. Passion seemed to radiate from them like waves of heat. M`peth qHo had never watched others making love. It was not something considered proper. In spite of that she could not bring herself to look away or retreat. Her curiosity was too great. It cast a spell on her mind and she felt her own loins grow very warm.

She continued to watch as Benjamin broke the kiss and dropped an air mattress on the floor. Smiling he turned back to Ima` Nef`Tn and took her in his arms again. Ima` Nef`Tn did not hesitate to return the kiss. The sound of her purr was audible even from so far away. M`peth qHo licked her lips in anticipation as Benjamin carefully lifted Ima` Nef`Tn's shirt off, over her head revealing the dTel`Qohar's small breasts. Small they might be, but they were very well shaped with large, erect nipples. Benjamin pressed his lips to hers again then proceeded to trace a line of kisses down her neck all of the way to Ima` Nef`Tn's right breast. Gently he parted his lips and took the large nipple between his teeth, pulling softly before closing his lips around it and sucking. The pretty dTel`Qohar visibly shivered, letting out a sigh of contented pleasure.

M`peth qHo found her own nipples had grown quite hard and the warm feeling in her loins had spread upward very pleasurably. Her breathing was deeper as she tried to take in more of the lovers' scents and her tail slashed the air in whip-like jerks.

*****

Ima` Nef`Tn felt as if she were immersed in joy. Benjamin's hands were warm and strong and his lips on her nipple sent tiny bolts of electric pleasure through her. All of her uncertainties and fears were pushed away as the warmth spread from her belly outward. This was even better than what was written in the romances! She felt her lover's hands glide over her fur down to the clasp on the back of her trousers and she purred in anticipation. The clasp clicked and her trousers sagged. Benjamin tried to slide them down, but the front clasp held and her hips were too wide to allow the trousers to drop.

"Ben `Jamin," she giggled, pulling him up and grinning girlishly. She gave his beard a playful nip and showed him the clasp on the front of her trousers. "Like this."

With the flick of her thumb she opened the clasp and then hooked her fingers in the waistband. The front seal of the trousers opened as she shimmied her hips sending them to the stone floor. Stepping out of her fatigues she looked into Benjamin's eyes and then reached out to work his shorts open. A strange button and some sort of mechanical closure defeated her attempts and they both giggled as she fretted with the stubborn seals.

"Like this," he breathed in a throaty whisper. The button came free easily and with a quiet buzz the mechanical closure opened.

"Like that?" she giggled. What a ridiculous way to make clothes. Glancing down, she stopped giggling. Benjamin was erect! Very erect! Though she had seen it earlier she had not dared touch his member. Now she found herself reluctant.

With a gentle finger under her chin Benjamin drew her back into a kiss. Her hands went uncertainly to his waist. Benjamin's hands were not at all uncertain. They lightly stroked her sides as they glided down to her waist and then around to the small of her back, finally settling on her rump. Strong fingers kneaded the firm muscles through her shorts. She eased in closer until her breasts pressed firmly against his flesh. Her arms rose to embrace him around his broad chest, her right hand tangling in his long mane and pressing their lips more tightly together. She felt herself become moist and the scent of this alien drove her on to greater boldness. His member was like a rod of iron against her belly. With her free hand she grasped its thickness. Benjamin moaned out his desire and his fingers tightened on her ass.

This was so good.

It was so right.

Gently but firmly he turned her, putting her off balance so that she had no choice but to follow him to the floor and the air mattress. They broke their kiss and laughed softly together as he lay at her side.

"You are much thicker than I am accustomed to, Ben `Jamin," she breathed and kissed him again.

"Don't tell me you want to stop," he said, almost pleadingly.

She narrowed her eyes with a lustful little smirk on her lips and gave his member a gentle tug.

"I do not know if you will fit," she teased and had to laugh when his eyes widened in distress.

"Are you kidding?" he demanded.

"Japanese, Ben `Jamin," she chided and pulled on his shaft again, kissing him. "Japanese."

Benjamin sighed with what sounded like a mix of pleasure and relief, and she gave his shaft an experimental squeeze, eliciting a different sort of sigh. Ima` Nef`Tn purred loudly and pushed him onto his back as she rose up and kissed him hard. He did not protest. Rather, he slid his hands under the waistband of her shorts to massage her firm ass again.

Breaking their kiss, she asked, "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," he said.

Grinning a wicked grin she nipped his beard and then began planting a row little nips down his chest and over his belly, mimicking his earlier technique. Benjamin's hands slid from under her shorts as she edged down his body. When Ima` Nef`Tn's lips brushed the swollen head of his manhood he arched his back in pleasure, letting out a throaty moan.

The salty taste of him was strange and decadent and wonderful. Ima` Nef`Tn savored the smell of his musk, so strong down here where his hair grew thicker. Her lips played over the tender head and then her tongue slid languidly along the heavy shaft. All teasing aside, she still was not sure it would fit inside of her. Human males were not as large as dTel`Qohar males in overall stature, but in this aspect, they were much thicker. Some romances reported them being enormous, like something found on a draught animal. Benjamin's proportions were nothing so ridiculous, perhaps three times as thick as the larger of the two males Ima` Nef`Tn had lain with. Daunting, but not fearsome. What was more, she wanted him.

The pleasure of the tongue was something she had never done with a male of her own kind, but she saw no danger here. No jabbing points. Summoning up her courage she slipped the head into her mouth and sucked. Benjamin's hands closed on the sides of her head and for an instant she was afraid, but he only held her. Slowly she slid more of him into her mouth until the tip of his member rested at the back of her throat. It was warm and she could feel him pulsing against her tongue. This was just like what the females did in the romances and she was actually living it! What would her sisters think? Ima` Nef`Tn purred at the thought.

Slowly she rose off his length and then slowly slid it back into her mouth. Benjamin was breathing heavily now, his fingers pressed lightly on the sides of her head. The salty flavor of him became stronger and she repeated her motion, gradually increasing her pace. When her lover was all but squirming she pulled him out of her mouth and grinned mischievously. Her hand continued to stroke his shaft slowly and she saw a clear drop well from the slit at the tip. This she licked away finding it thick and salty.

"Wow," Benjamin sighed.

She licked another drop away and said, "Good."

To her surprise Benjamin sat up, reaching for her. She was uncertain what he intended but was not concerned. With strong arms he pulled her up so that she was kneeling and then he reached behind her to work the soft tab that held her shorts closed above her tail. Ima` Nef`Tn smiled lustfully, letting her lover do as he would while she continued to pull indolently on his thickness.

"These have got to come off," he breathed in her ear.

With a giggle she dropped onto her side, raising her legs off the mattress. Her fingers were still wrapped around him and she continued her stroking while Benjamin struggled to remove her shorts. They laughed together until finally the cloth came free. Ima` Nef`Tn's laughter choked out when Benjamin grabbed her ankles. What was he doing? A cold spike of panic shot through her heated passion and she let go of him, ready to spring away. But all was well. He pulled her on top so that her thighs straddled his face. She remained uncertain of his intent until she felt his tongue brush lightly over her sensitive diamond and then an unbidden purr rumbled from her chest.