Awakened by the Giant: Brides of the Kindred Read online

  “Nusper-veis told me that he observed you and your sentient specimen in the baths almost a standard week ago,” FATHER said. “He said it appeared that you were touching her sexually…pleasuring her.” The lighting in the booth had turned bright orange now—a clear sign of the AI’s discomfort.

  “I was rubbing the protective gel onto her sensitive areas to protect them from the enzymes in the bath,” Calden said, trying to keep his voice low and even. If this was all FATHER had, he might still be able to convince the AI that this was all one big misunderstanding.

  “Nusper-veis seemed to think that it was more than that,” FATHER said. “Taken with the complaints of the other Mentats, I felt it merited an investigation. I was forced, very reluctantly, to begin monitoring your quarters.”

  “What?” Calden didn’t even try to keep the anger out of his voice. “But privacy is guaranteed aboard the station! How dare you spy on me?”

  “It is guaranteed as long as you are not suspected of breaking the oath you took when you first came here,” FATHER said, his normally neutral voice suddenly stern. “But when you break our laws, you lose your privileges.”

  “You have no right to monitor me or to police my actions!” Calden exclaimed. “And you have no proof that I have broken either your laws or my oath.”

  “Unfortunately, I do.” The glass walls of the booth turned suddenly opaque and scenes began playing on them as though they were vidscreens. Scenes that had been taken inside his quarters, Calden realized with growing horror.

  He saw himself and Madeline engaged in pleasuring each other—her sucking his shaft…the two of them stroking each other’s bare bodies…not to mention numerous instances of him between her legs, lapping and tasting her sweet pussy as she moaned and thrust up to meet his tongue, her hands buried in his hair as she called his name over and over…Gods, had FATHER seen it all?

  “I blame myself for this,” FATHER said as the images faded. “I chose to trust you when you swore to me that you did not wish to breed with this sentient female clone that you were allowed to grow. I should have realized that it would be impossible for you to subdue your biological urges for long in the presence of a fertile female. I should also have realized that this would arouse the jealousy of the other males aboard the station.” He sighed—a sound that was full of artificial melancholy. “I try but it is not always easy to remember that flesh entities with emotions and sexual urges are slaves to their impulses.”

  Calden didn’t know what to do—what to say. But he knew he had to do something quickly—Madeline was in grave danger here. FATHER had control of the self-termination unit implanted at the base of her skull. If it chose, the AI could end her life between one heartbeat and the next.

  “FATHER,” he said in a low voice, “I can explain.”

  “No explanation is necessary, Calden,” FATHER said calmly. “It is clear that the complaints which were made about you and your sentient specimen were accurate. You must be censured for your illicit activity which leaves me no choice—I am forced to terminate your current experiments involving this new world immediately.”

  “What?” Calden exclaimed, jumping up. “You can’t do that, FATHER! You can’t!”

  “I’m sorry, Calden.”The AI’s voice was calm and completely implacable. “But it is already done.”

  * * * * *

  “So what are you doing out in the hallway alone without your Kindred to take care of you, my pretty little female?” Grack-lor’s voice was like the harsh cawing of a vulture, Maddy thought. And he smelled a little like one of those carrion birds too. She knew because she’d treated several wild vultures with broken wings which had been brought in by thoughtful motorists back when she’d still had her own practice.

  “I’m going to Calden’s lab—he’s waiting for me and he’ll be out in a second,” she said, trying to keep her voice low and even while keeping her distance from the Mentat’s long reach.

  “Is that right? Well, why don’t you yell for him right now, then?” Grack-lor taunted. “Let’s get him out here, shall we, my dear? Let’s see if he cares enough to protect you.”

  Maddy bit her lip. Great—he was calling her bluff. If she called for Calden and he didn’t come, the big Mentat would know she was all alone.

  Easy prey, she thought and felt sick.

  “He’s in the middle of an experiment,” she said, lifting her chin. “Excuse me—I have to get to him.”

  She started to walk around the Mentat but Grack-lor wasn’t having it. In one swift motion, he cut her off, crowding her back against the curving metal wall of the corridor. All four of his arms surrounded her, the seven-fingered hands pressed on either side of her shoulders and hips. She was trapped!

  “Get away from me!” Maddy thought about trying to push against his chest but he was huge and her hands were still too weak to fend him off, even if he hadn’t been over seven feet tall and outweighed her by hundreds of pounds.

  “Oh, I don’t think so, my dear.” Grack-lor leered at her. “Now, I know you’ve been giving it up for that big Kindred every night, so how about giving me some of what you’ve been giving him?”

  As he spoke, the bulging pouch under his chin dropped and the long, black and maroon mottled shaft swung free.

  His tokk—his dick, Maddy thought, feeling sick as the long thing began moving towards her, curving with the sinuous grace of a one-eyed snake. God, it’s coming right for me! But she didn’t want to show fear—didn’t want to give the big bastard the satisfaction of hearing her beg or cry.

  “What do you expect to do with that?” she demanded, keeping her chin high as she glared into his black, oil-spot eyes. “You and I aren’t compatible—not even remotely. So why don’t you put that ugly thing away and leave me alone?”

  “Just because we couldn’t make a viable fetus together doesn’t mean I can’t breed you, my dear little female,” Grack-lor cawed. “But before I try your sweet cunt, I think I’ll explore your mouth a little. So open wide and let me in—if you give me a nice enough kiss I might not hurt you too badly.”

  Maddy felt sick. She put up her hands to bat the ugly, mottled thing aside but they were still so weak she couldn’t even push it back. Grack-lor laughed as he thrust his chin forward, the way a human man might thrust his pelvis, shoving his dick in her face.

  Well, whispered a little voice in her head. Your hands might be weak but your jaws aren’t. Assuming his parts are as sensitive as a regular man’s, you could do some serious damage—if you’re willing to.

  Which was true. Suddenly Maddy knew what she had to do, although she hated like hell to do it.

  “Don’t…please don’t hurt me.” She put a quaver of fear in her voice. “I…I’ll do whatever you want—just don’t hurt me.”

  “That’s more like it.” Grack-lor grinned evilly. “Good, little female. Just open wide and suck my tokk…”

  Maddy’s gorge rose so fast she thought she was going to hurl but somehow she managed to open her mouth as the mottled hose-like thing came towards her. The smell of rotten meat was gaggingly strong.

  The tokk nudged between her open lips and then she nearly retched but somehow Maddy controlled herself. If she puked all over him, it would probably just make the big Mentat mad. If he pulled back and decided to try shoving his disgusting member someplace else… The idea didn’t bear thinking about.

  Hold still, Maddy told herself. Just hold still a minute longer!

  She couldn’t have been more disgusted if a big, hairy spider was crawling into her open mouth but somehow she forced herself to follow her own advice.

  “Ah, just as I thought—nice and warm and wet,” Grack-lor cawed as his snake-like tokk explored her mouth. Unlike a human guy’s dick, it seemed to have almost a life of its own, twisting and turning as it spread its sour, rotten taste over her tongue. It nudged experimentally against her inner cheek so that a good portion of it was cross-wise, right between her teeth.

  It was the moment Maddy had been