Releasing the Dragon (Brides of the Kindred) Read online

  The second thing she noticed were the people. There were x’aan-chows like herself of course—most of them dressed in flimsy, see-through costumes. Some were wearing dog-like tails with adorably floppy ears and others had ears and long, flowing tails like horses. One girl even had a tail like a peacock’s—although it was colored gold and bright pink and deep purple instead of green and blue. Some of them seemed to be playing together while others were displayed on slightly raised platforms arranged around the center of the round room.

  Of course, to go with the sex-pets, there were also Masters. Low, elegantly carved couches with scrolled arms were arranged around the sides of the long, rectangular room. On these, the men lounged, watching their “pets” at play.

  Some were dressed very richly, with silky trousers worn tight at the ankles that ballooned out around the legs in patterned fabrics and elegantly cut, tight-fitting jackets up top. Any one of their outfits looked like it would cost an arm and a leg, Annie thought. Were they princes? Tycoons? Or just ultra-wealthy men here at the Shadow Palace for a vacation?

  There were also some men that dressed more like Dru—in black trousers and plain shirts. One especially stood out to Annie. He was wearing black leather trousers, high black boots, and a black leather vest which left his muscular arms bare. He had long auburn hair, much darker than her own, which was twisted into a rough knot at the nape of his thick neck. But more striking than any of these details was the glittering silver eye patch that covered his left eye. It caught Annie’s attention because it had what appeared to be lights and sensors blinking on the outside of it.

  It almost looks like some kind of communications device, she thought, staring at the rough-looking stranger in fascination. Or maybe it feeds him information somehow—like a hidden screen or something.

  “Well, well, Drugair—so I see you’ve made an appearance after all,” drawled the stranger with the eye patch. “And what a lovely little sex-pet you’ve brought with you. I can certainly see why you chose a feline tail and ears for her—she’s staring at me as curiously as a cat.”

  Annie flushed and dropped her eyes at once. The man with the eye patch had been looking away from her as she studied him—she never would have guessed that he knew she was watching.

  “Hello, Zar’ren,” Dru growled. “It’s good to see you again. As for my x’aan-chow, she is my business and mine alone. Please notice she is wearing a purple collar and I am quite prepared to enforce that.”

  Annie looked up again swiftly. So this was the bad guy Dru had been sent to watch. He certainly looked like seven miles of bad road, as her grandmother would have said—the eye patch gave him a distinctly piratical air. Not wanting him to catch her watching him again, she dropped her eyes and looked away as the big man rose and came towards them.

  When he got right up to them, Annie realized that Zar’ren was every bit as big and muscular as Dru was. Was he Kindred too? But if so, why would he want to attack the other Kindred of the Mother Ship? What grudge did he hold against his own kind?

  “Such a pretty little thing. So plump and ripe—just the way I like them.” The big man made as if to reach down and pet her head, the way you might pet a friend’s dog or cat, but Annie shied away from him.

  A low growl rose in Dru’s throat.

  “Touch her and lose a hand, Zar’ren.”

  “Unwilling to share as always, I see.” Zar’ren shrugged, as though it didn’t matter. “No matter—I brought my own x’aan-chow of course. Several, in fact. Now where are they…” He turned and snapped his fingers. “Maribella—come.”

  A girl with silky, white blond hair and long, white and pink ears attached to the top of her head looked up at his call. She was one of the x’aan-chows crouching on one of the platforms in the middle of the room and for some reason she seemed reluctant to leave it. But at a glare from Zar’ren, she hopped down and came towards them on her hands and knees, the fluffy cotton-ball of a tail at her behind twitching erotically.

  “I’m afraid since we got here Maribella has become addicted to the self-pleasure stations,” Zar’ren remarked, frowning at her reprovingly.

  “Forgive me, Master.” The girl ducked her head apologetically.

  “Self-pleasure stations?” Annie asked, frowning.

  “There.” Dru pointed to the platform Maribella had vacated. It had a kind of spinning wheel at one end that had pink things attached at intervals to its surface. Pink things that looked like…

  Tongues. They look like tongues, Annie thought, frowning. Opposite the spinning tongue wheel, on the other end of the platform, was a pair of strange-looking suction cups. At least Annie thought they were suction cups—they certainly had the right shape. But they seemed to have pink lips attacked to them.

  How the hell does that thing work? she wondered. But her question was almost immediately answered when a x’aan-chow with long, dark hair climbed onto the platform and positioned herself on it directly over the strange devices. She lowered her pussy—which was bare except for some thin, wispy panties which had already been pushed to one side—to the spinning tongue wheel and moaned aloud when the long pink tongues began to lap and lash her sensitive inner folds. At the same time, she dropped her bare breasts down until her nipples were positioned inside the strange mouth-like suction cups. The cups latched on at once and began to suck hard on her nipples while the tongue-wheel continued to lick her clit.

  “Oh…Oh!” The girl threw back her long, dark hair, moaning her pleasure aloud. Clearly she didn’t mind being the center of attention. There was applause from several of the males on the couches as she continued to work her way to a very noisy orgasm.

  She was wearing a red collar and as they watched, one of the men got up from the couches and came over to her. The platform she was crouching on was waist height and he casually unfastened his trousers and took out a long, thick cock. Annie bit her lip as she saw him shove himself roughly to the hilt into the girl’s open pussy. But the x’aan-chow with long, dark hair seemed to enjoy the extra attention. She moaned even louder and backed to meet his thrusts as the tongue wheel continued to lash her clit and the suction cups pulled at her nipples.

  Zar’ren frowned. “That’s Y’Ver’s x’aan-chow. He always has to bring the showy ones who make a scene. Unlike this fresh little beauty you brought aboard.” He looked at Annie appreciatively but then his attention switched back to his own x’aan-chow. “Where is Tatti, Mirabella? I thought I told you to keep an eye on her.”

  “Oh…” The blonde girl tossed her head with a sniff. “She’s hiding in the corner as always—afraid to come out and play.”

  “Well go get her!” Zar’ren commanded. “I want to introduce her to my old friend, Drugair.”

  “All right.” The blonde x’aan-chow trotted off, her bunny tail twitching. As she went, Annie couldn’t help noticing her collar was blue striped with black. She knew that blue meant a sex-pet was available to play with anyone as long as her master was involved. But what did black mean?

  “If you’re wondering about her collar, my dear, it means she’s into pain play,” Zar’ren remarked, clearly seeing her interested glance. Or had his eye patch somehow fed him information about where she was looking? Because Annie could have sworn he wasn’t even looking at her.

  “Pain play?” she asked, looking up at Dru.

  He only frowned but Zar’ren gave her a slow, lascivious smile.

  “It means my little Mirabella likes it rough. Unlike sweet little Tatti—here she comes.”

  A tiny, petite girl with softly pointed gray kitten ears and a fluffy tail to match came crawling towards them. She had soulful blue eyes that seemed too large for her face and improbably large, balloon-like breasts hung down from her thin body. She had a waspish waist and a round, juicy behind which also seemed too big for her frame.

  She looks like an anime character with those proportions, Annie thought. What huge eyes! They must be twice the size of normal eyes.

  Then she berated he