Enticed by the Satyr (Kindred Tales)

She was just beginning to wonder if she ought to go back and find Storn after all, when someone grabbed her by the arm and something hard and cold was shoved into the small of her back.

“What—?” Mia gasped. Turning her head, she saw it was the warrior with the gold and red dragon mask that she’d nodded to earlier. But what was he doing grabbing her? “Excuse me,” she said, trying to be polite. “But I think you’ve got the wrong idea. I’m already involved with someone.”

“I know you’re involved with someone, peanut—me!” the warrior growled.

That’s no Kindred warrior, Mia realized, feeling her blood turn to ice in her veins. She knew the hoarse, angry voice coming from under the dragon mask and only one man in her life had ever called her “peanut.”

“Hank?” she whispered. “But how…you’re not supposed to be able to come up here! They promised me you couldn’t come!”

“They underestimated me, I’m afraid, peanut. I decided to come up here and see what you were up to, and low and behold, what do I find but you slutting around with one of those big aliens? Not only that, but the freak you picked doesn’t even look human!” He shook her angrily, making Mia’s teeth click together sharply on the tip of her tongue.

“Ouch!” she gasped and tasted blood. “Storn is a Monstrum Kindred—he’s from another universe, that’s why he doesn’t look humanoid!” she somehow got out.

“A fuckin’ animal is what he is and you were letting him get all up between your legs, you little slut!” Hank snarled. “I knew the minute I turned my back you’d be acting like the whore you are! Now come on—move.” The hard cold thing which must be the muzzle of a gun shoved harder into the small of her back. “I’m taking you back down to Earth, where you belong.”

“No!” Mia tried to pull away from his punishing grip. “No, I’m not going anywhere with you! Let me go—I live here now and you and are I divorced!”

“I don’t think so,” Hank snarled behind his mask. “I don’t care what papers those alien assholes made me sign, you’re still my wife and I don’t let go of what’s mine. Now keep your mouth shut and march, or so help me God, I’ll blow your guts out right here in the middle of the Mother Ship.”

“If you kill me, the Kindred will kill you!” Mia told him, but her legs were already marching, just as Hank had commanded. Her ex-husband’s next words chilled her to the bone.

“Let them,” he snarled. “If I have to die to prove a point, I’m more than happy to, peanut. The point being—you’re mine and I’m never letting you go. Now let’s get a move on—I’m taking you home.”

21

It took Storn longer to re-sheathe than usual. Every time his shaft started to slide back into its place between his thighs, he remembered the feel of Mia’s soft hands on his horns, or caught a whiff of her hot, feminine scent, or tasted her sweet juices which still lingered on his lips. And then his shaft would unsheathe again, throbbing for release, aching to slide deep into her tight, wet depths and fill her with his seed. Never had he needed a female so badly—never had he longed for anyone as he longed for his lovely Mia.

At last, however, his shaft was fully back in its sheath and he felt confident it would stay there. Taking a deep breath, he dared to leave the dungeon area and make his way through the crowded music room, where people in costumes were dancing to strange but interesting sounding music, which was playing from the sound system.

Storn thought with pleasure of the many years he and Mia had ahead of them, getting to know the music of each other’s people and also playing music together, she on her piano and he on his leelah flute. He was glad that they had music in common—it was good to share a hobby with your beloved. They could spend hours playing duets…though first he wanted to spend hours making love and bonding her to him.

That thought almost caused him to unsheathe again—really, he was as bad as an adolescent around her! But after a moment the danger passed and he was able to make his way out of the music room, to the corridor beyond where she was waiting for him.

Only she wasn’t.

Storn frowned, looking anxiously around the smooth, metal corridor which stretched down until it curved around a corner some distance ahead. Where was Mia? He wrinkled his nose, inhaling deeply. He could catch her scent but there was something subtly wrong with it.

He could still smell the intense desire that had been driving him crazy in the dungeon, but now it was also mixed with the acrid tang of fear. So Mia had come out here to wait for him, and then something had scared her. But what?