They returned but held whatever they’d fetched from her gaze. Stacy grew keyed up as they continued to consider her, silently weighing their next move. She almost whimpered when Rihep grasped her breast and fondled. She managed to remain silent, subservient, meek.

  His strong-jawed face came in view when he bent to mouth and suck her breast. Her trembling grew. She panted as his warm mouth devoured the sensitive mound. His rough tongue lashed her nipple, making it tight and pointed. He suckled the tip, and she shivered uncontrollably from the delightful sensation. When he drew back, releasing her, she almost committed the sin of crying out and thrusting her chest toward him to dispute the loss.

  He showed her the nipple clamp. Its hard silver circle and chain on which dangled the large, glittering garnet weighted it. Stacy swallowed. Her breasts were extremely sensitive. The clamp would hurt. Her cunt clenched in reaction.

  She held perfectly immobile as Rihep slid the clamp onto her nipple. Her lower lip trembled and tears stung her eyes as he tightened it and pain speared her breast. The shard of anguish traveled, zeroing on her clit and twisting into excitement along the way. Craving and agony doubled when Rihep tugged on the garnet. Stacy’s pussy spasmed again.

  He smiled, as if he’d sensed the tug of war between anguish and lust. Then he mouthed her other breast, readying it for its share.

  When he’d imprisoned the second nipple, leaving Stacy shaking and tears streaking down her cheeks from the battling sensations, he set the garnets swinging. A whimper escaped her.

  “Yes, you may yell and cry while we give you your reminders. You will also come for us while we reinforce why you should be a good girl. Refusing to come as we wish means not coming when you wish for a week.”

  Stacy moaned. No, she couldn’t face orgasm denial for an entire week. She’d go insane.

  Rihep gave her his serene smile and turned to Kuran and Etnil. “What else do we have for her?”

  Stacy snuck a peek. Etnil’s hands were hidden behind him. He beamed at his clan leader and revealed he held a buttplug. It was sizable, half the girth of their secondaries.

  Stacy looked down before they could catch her watching. The plug would stretch her tighter opening, but not enough to keep her from aching when the first of them fucked her.

  “Turn and put your ass in the air.”

  She did so, whimpering as she bent forward onto her elbows and the weighted nipple clamps shifted, bringing fresh pain. She found some relief when the gems rested on the bed, easing the pull.

  Pressure poked at her rear hole. The plug, slickened by lubricant or perhaps her lovers’ natural juices, shoved in her. Used to having Kalquorian cocks fucking her there, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Stacy relaxed into the momentary reprieve from being tested, knowing how temporary the break was.

  Since it had been Etnil who’d selected the plug, she guessed it was he used it to slowly fuck her. The men were quiet, probably watching her take it. The scent of their arousal was heavy, but she imagined it grew more so as they anticipated the moment each would feel her taut passage yield to them.

  “Hands and knees.”

  Shuddering in anticipation, Stacy rose from her folded arms. The garnets lifted from the bed’s surface, pulling her nipples and bringing a hiss as the weight sent jabs through her flesh. Rihep joined her on the bed. He lay on his side, his head propped on his palm as he studied her face. He brushed the clamp weights, setting them swinging. Stacy moaned at the hurt and the growing thrill of anticipation as they readied to push her to her limits.

  Etnil adopted his clan leader’s pose on the other side of Stacy. He grinned with his usual mischief, but his gaze was still dark and demanding.

  She wasn’t given much opportunity to worry over the Imdiko. “Look over your shoulder.” The order came from Kuran behind her.

  She obeyed to see him looming over her, standing by the bed. He showed her the thick black rubber paddle he held. It was as long as his forearm. Experience had taught Stacy the raised nubs on its surface would deliver intense punishment. No wonder Rihep had given her permission to yell. Foreseeing the coming few minutes, tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “Do you agree to our decision to set this reminder?”

  It was her chance to put a stop to the demanding scene they played. It was a reminder she was ultimately in control of what happened next. She was eager to shove the responsibility aside and return to pretending not one damned thing was up to her for a change.

  “I agree, Nobek.”

  “Turn away and prepare yourself.”

  He didn’t paddle her immediately. Instead, he rubbed her ass vigorously, increasing the circulation. It shifted the butt plug, asserting its presence and adding excitement. Meanwhile, Rihep and Etnil tugged the chains of the nipple clamps and kept them swinging so she could appreciate their exquisite hurt before the paddle claimed the greater part of her attention.

  Stacy crouched on all fours, enduring their attention, remembering how good it would ultimately feel. Doing her best to convince herself, as she often did, that surrendering to the men wasn’t a mistake.

  Kuran ended the admittedly enjoyable massage. Stacy tensed, then remembered what a bad idea it was. She forced her muscles to relax as much as she could. They immediately tightened again, and she kept having to ease off.

  The seconds ticked by, lengthening the expectation of what was coming. Kuran drew out Stacy’s anxiety, allowing Rihep and Etnil to keep her on edge by bestowing insistent attention on her stinging, heat-filled breasts. Stacy’s fingertips gripped the bed’s cover. She dreaded and wished Kuran would do it. Oh no, she was tense. Relax—

  The three-inch-thick paddle whacked her ass. An inferno of blazing agony woke, and she yelped as her backside throbbed blistering heat. Her knees dug in the bed as instinct tried to make her spring from her tormentors, but she managed to remain in place.

  “Naughty girl, he’ll add to it if you attempt to get away.” Etnil’s teasing singsong rose above her breathless sobs. “Better stay put, or you’ll learn what real punishment is.”

  The paddle struck, and agony resounded. Stacy’s next cry was louder. A flood of tears blurred her sight and smeared the figures of Rihep and Etnil in her peripheral vision. The rapture she was so certain of seemed very far from her grasp, maybe impossible. What if it didn’t come tonight? What if there was only hurt?

  Smack. Scorching distress seared her ass. No, it wasn’t happening this time. She should yell sholt, the Kalquorian word for stop, which would end the spanking. And probably the rest of the night’s sexy fun. They’d be so disappointed…

  Smack. More heat. At last, its tendrils reached deep. They found and teased her core, but she thought it was too late. The first wisps of carnal excitement from giving in to brutal cravings were too faint.

  Stacy heard a low humming. There was another wallop, and she stopped wondering what the familiar sound was to grasp at the too-slowly changing sensations. She had to stop. Craving wasn’t happening the way it should.

  Pressure settled on her mound. A violent quivering found her clit, which had engorged as if the paddling were a sensual delight. Stacy forgot to breathe as deep thrumming filled her intimate flesh, waking primitive hunger.

  “Naughty girl likes her spankings. They get her so excited. Her Nobek’s correction makes her come every time.”

  She felt the paddle strike and felt the heat more than pain. The vibrator Etnil rubbed on her clit twisted what agony there’d been into a nameless intensity, which shuddered her very soul. She couldn’t stop herself from grinding against it.

  “Ride it, naughty girl.”

  She did. Her hips moved in quickening rhythm as ecstasy beckoned, as the paddle matched her thrusts and urged her on, as the sizzling tugs on her nipples increased.

  “Come for us. Show us you belong to us.”

  Yes. She was theirs. She had to show them she could behave, she’d give them whatever they desired, whenever and however they wanted.

  “Are you going to come for us?”

  “Yes.” She was nearly there, the sweetly violent feeling of craving growing too big to be stopped, the proof she’d give them everything. The paddle tattooed her ass, her tits clamored under the constant tugs, and she rode the insistent pressure at her clit. Roiling bliss filled her and pushed to escape.

  She shattered.

  Blinding white eclipsed all but the heaving elation billowing through her, pouring from her. Waves pounded, breaking her to bits in a thrilling deluge. She was tossed helpless in the seething tide of rapture, and it seemed an eternity passed before it released her.

  She was first aware of somebody moaning, and it took a few seconds before she realized it came from her. She became aware she was trembling from head to toe, still somehow on all fours. The vibrator was gone, and the paddling was over. The ache from the nipple clamps was pleasant, the hanging weights no longer a torment.

  “Have you returned to us?” Rihep’s smiling face appeared.

  “Think so.”

  “Then lie on your back.”

  She did so, managing to not collapse despite how her body quaked. She whimpered when her aching ass met the bed’s surface, but it was the good ache that made her feel strangely secure. As soon as she settled, Kuran crawled onto the mat and settled his wide shoulders between her legs. Without preamble, his long, rough tongue lapped her sopping pussy.

  Stacy was spent, but there was no fighting the pleasure his attention kept awake. They were nowhere near done, and she’d soon be fully aroused and eager for more.

  “It’s wonderful when we can take you out of your mind,” Rihep chuckled as he slid closer. He licked her exposed nipple tips. His smile broadened as a tremor seized her at the darts of sensation.

  “You say it as if we’ve ever failed to.” Etnil used two fingers to spread her pussy folds to allow Kuran better access. The Nobek growled, his way of saying thanks.

  “You haven’t.” Stacy’s voice was whispery, and ended in a moan as Kuran’s tongue stabbed deep.

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Rihep’s kiss punctuated his statement. It stole Stacy’s mind again.

  To a degree. She was aware of Etnil saying something in Kalquorian, which she was only beginning to learn. Kuran paused his assault on her womanhood to answer.

  After thoroughly plundering her mouth, Rihep regarded her breasts. “Yes, these do need to come off.”

  “Oh no.” Removing nipple clamps was the worst. The paddling was nothing compared to the agony of blood rushing in.

  “Afraid so. Don’t worry, Etnil and Kuran have a plan.” Rihep nodded to them.

  Etnil switched on the vibrator he’d used on her during the paddling. Stacy recognized it: a long wand topped by a wide, cylindrical foamlike head. It buzzed enthusiastically on a higher setting than what he’d set it for earlier.

  Kuran shoved two fingers in her. He sought and found her inner sweet spot with effortless accuracy. He rubbed as Etnil pressed the vibrator to her swollen clit.

  Stacy arched and screamed at the blast of sheer elation. As climax consumed her, Rihep released the first of the nipple clamps.

  The sear of agony to her breast somehow added to the delicious spasms convulsing her core. Stacy writhed, and they held her down as they forced her to ride the vicious orgasm to its end.

  “Too much…too much,” she gasped when they relented and her breast ceased throbbing. It was only then she realized Rihep, who was happily sucking her abused tit, hadn’t taken off the second clamp.

  “No. Don’t!” she cried as Kuran applied friction within and Etnil brought the loudly droning vibrator to her clit and rubbed. Rihep released her nipple from its trap, and once more, she came on a burst of rapture and torment.

  “You’ll be the death of me,” she moaned several minutes later. “Literally, I will die because you make me come so damned hard.”

  “I’ll note it in your obituary,” Etnil said. “Governor Stacy Nichols perished screaming in sheer ecstasy from the incredible lovemaking skills of her Imdiko god. His clanmates offered slight assistance when their awe at his abilities allowed them to.”

  Kuran used a pillow to wallop him hard enough to nearly knock him from the mat. Etnil rolled off to avoid another swing.

  “While I’m up, would you like me to fetch some pain inhibitor?” he asked Stacy.

  She considered. Her ass was clamoring as endorphins wore off, but the men hadn’t yet fucked her, which would offer another heady rush at some point. She decided it was better to be soothed than sorry.

  “Yeah, thanks. And water?”

  “I live to serve.” He bowed with a flourish. Because Etnil was perfectly delighted to look as foolish as possible to make her laugh, he joyously skipped from the room, his stiff cocks brazenly leading the way.

  “Are you really going to introduce him to your mother and sister?” Kuran appeared mortified at the prospect.

  Stacy answered once her giggles ceased. “It isn’t as if he’ll be running around naked and aroused in front of them.”

  “Are you sure? The man truly has no shame.”

  “I trust Etnil to stop before he horrifies them. In the event he doesn’t, my mother is perfectly capable of putting him in his place.”

  Kuran shook his head, clearly disbelieving, but Rihep chuckled. “If she can, I’d like lessons.”

  * * * *

  Selt was a Nobek through and through. It was beneath a man of his breed to dote sentimentally over male clanmates. Nonetheless, he grabbed Deram and Hadlez in a heartfelt group hug the instant they walked in their quarters’ door.

  They laughed and returned the embrace enthusiastically. “My Nobek, I’ve counted the hours until we’d return to you,” Imdiko Hadlez said, a smile lighting his boyish beauty. “Mother of All, it’s good to see you.”

  “I’ve regretted being transferred from Captain Kila’s ship the entire time you were gone,” Selt admitted. “Especially when I heard what happened to Bi’is and the spyship that took over monitoring them. One survivor?”

  “I’m glad you’re up to date.” Dramok Deram, as handsome as Hadlez was pretty, gazed at him affectionately. “I wondered how much they’d tell you since your assignment moved to Earth.”

  “Enough to make me want to march to Admiral Piras and demand I be returned to the spyship. I don’t want you out of my sight again.” Especially in the case of an alien threat to his clan.

  “Don’t.” Deram grinned. “We hated the separation too, and we’re putting in for a transfer.”

  “Really?” Hope was as useless as sappy reunions, but Selt couldn’t help but feel it. “Piras is calling for additional personnel to join the Earth team. Though…wouldn’t becoming a mere operative be a demotion for you, my Dramok?” Deram was currently the spyship’s first officer, an important posting.

  “As Earth grows and needs bigger government, the chain of command will grow as well. Getting in on the ground floor heightens my chances for a regional command post in the future.” Deram waved off his concerns. “It’ll be worth it.”

  The clan leader wouldn’t insult Selt with an emotional outpouring of how clan was more important than career or rank, but the Nobek knew it was the reason behind the decision. He pointed out the most awkward detail of Deram’s change of posting. “I’d be your superior in rank. I’m Kuran’s second.”

  “So be it. I’m sure you’ll treat me as respectfully I accorded you on the spyship.” Deram’s eyes sparkled in amusement.

  “Of course.” Selt’s being warmed to have won his lifemate’s high regard. The relief he wouldn’t have to let Deram and Hadlez go off again without him added to his joy.

  He glanced at Hadlez as a mote of concern rippled through him. He thought of the Earther terrorists he’d recently and forcefully interrogated. “You’re asking to join as a planet-side spy too? As a doctor in such a role, you’d be called upon to administer certain drugs for unpleasant effects to convince subjects to talk.”

  “I was trained in such protocols years ago. I’ve been lucky to have avoided using them thus far, but…yes, I’m aware of what I might have to do.” Hadlez shrugged, though a line creased his perfect features between his brows. “For honor and empire. Someone has to do the dirty work, and my psych reports show my mental capacities to be sound.”

  “I don’t doubt you, my Imdiko.” Selt didn’t. He’d seen Hadlez work on injured shipmates, men screaming and bleeding from horrific wounds. His Imdiko had a gift for zeroing in on the work to be done, performing it to the best of his ability, then letting it go when he was finished. When he washed the blood from hands, it was as if he did the same for his soul, leaving it pristine despite how awful the preceding hours had been.

  Repairing physical injuries is different from inflicting pain, no matter how non-injurious. Nonetheless, Selt wanted Hadlez to stay close. Maybe he’d be all right.

  Eager to put such questions at rest, at least for the moment, Selt waved them further into their quarters. “I made sure to restock the bar to celebrate your return. Drink up and tell me about your adventures.”

  “I know what was here when we left.” Deram studied the bar suspiciously before grabbing a bottle of premium human whiskey, which he’d developed a taste for. “What had you drinking heavily to the point of having to restock?”

  “You first.”

  “On my end, there isn’t much to share. We rendezvoused with a marauder, which had picked up a shuttle from the destroyed spyship. From there, we raced to Bi’is and found the whole damned species had killed itself off, apparently under the alien Darks’ influence.”

  “Did you go on the planet yourself?”

  “I led a team.”

  “Shit.” Selt’s gut curdled to think of it.

  “My Nobek, they were all dead. No Darks remained. I was never in danger.”

  “As far as we know.” Hadlez, a light drinker no matter the occasion, uncapped a bottle of kloq. “I was present when Captain Kila questioned the spyship’s survivor, a young ensign. Apparently, only a few of us can detect the Darks where our vision is concerned, though the survivor said those who are ‘ridden’ by them act strange enough for their behavior to be noticed. The fleet will no doubt go into high gear to discover who can see those things.”