When they reached the narrow opening that was the hatch to the ship, Dimitri swept Josia up in his arms. Again she was struck by how strong he was as he carried her into the ship.

"An old Earth custom. To carry the bride across the threshold."

A custom they had here as well, but not one she'd ever expected to be part of. Josia stared into his face, wondering at this handsome stranger who had claimed her.

He smiled, revealing the narrow fangs. Somehow this time they didn't frighten her. She barely felt them when he bent his head to claim her lips in another of his soul-stealing kisses and a pink haze of pa.s.sion stole across her vision.

In her mind she heard his mental voice. Mine, mine. He started down the hall, but came to a sudden halt near an open doorway. After a moment's hesitation, he ducked through.

Josia glanced around at the crowded s.p.a.ce. "This is your cabin?"

"This is the cargo bay." He headed for a soft-looking pile in the corner. He laid her gently on top and Josia found the pile was some sort of heavy hand-woven carpets. Immediately he tore off his clothes and lay on top of her. "I want to make love to you too much to wait."

The excuse sounded feeble but he followed it up with kisses so drugging that Josia didn't have the mental capacity to complain. Instead she gave in to his insistent hands and mouth and moaned as he latched onto her nipples with his lips, sucking and licking and giving her little nips with his fangs.

Maybe he drew blood, but if he did he licked up the evidence too quickly for her to notice.

Moments later he rose over her, spreading her thighs to open her for his c.o.c.k's possession of her p.u.s.s.y. He surged forward, joining them, and again Josia experienced that intimate connection with a man. Even more this time as his mind joined with hers, his thoughts sliding around hers until she wasn't quite sure who was thinking what.

Bless the f.u.c.king stars you feel so good, so good...

Was that her thought, or his? Probably his, but she shared the sentiment. Josia opened herself wider to him, both her mind and body. Dimitri responded by pushing harder, deeper, and faster, until Josia was sure she was going to scream.

I need your sweetness. She felt his fangs sink painlessly into her neck and then there was a scream cutting through her sensual haze, a scream that came from her throat. Josia came hard, just as Dimitri stopped his feeding, grunted and his mind seemed to explode within hers. Thoughts, images, and fragments of sensations from his hundreds of years filled her mind, and she was left reeling in the aftermath.

When she returned to some semblance of herself, the first thing she saw was Dimitri's very male smile of satisfaction.

"Now that was pretty spectacular," he said.

She was about to agree when another voice broke in.

"Spectacular indeed. Are you through making a mess of the Goeron rugs?" The acerbic voice shattered her remaining sensual haze, bringing her back to the present with a jerk.

Someone else lived on the Dark-pilot's ship? What would they think of her?

Dimitri's low chuckle told her he'd heard her unvoiced concern. Arthur is not someone to judge others...outside of me, he finished wryly. For some reason he's very fond of finding fault with me. "The rugs are fine, Arthur. We were careful."

The reply was a disembodied snort. "Obviously you've found a woman to suit you for once. Are you going to introduce me, Dimitri, or have you lost your manners as well as your heart?"

Now you know why we didn't go directly to the cabin. With a sigh, Dimitri rose and helped Josia close her robe, only afterwards dressing himself. He led her to what must be the ship's control room and she swung around, trying vainly to locate the source of the voice amongst the blinking panels of lights.

"Of course I'm going to introduce you. Arthur, this is Josia, the lady awarded me as my bride."

He waved a hand around the inside of the room. "Josia, this is Arthur...my ship."

"Your ship?"

"Well," he amended. "Not the entire ship, I suppose. Arthur is the computer that runs the ship."

A computer? They had computers on Deema but none that could talk. Amazed, Josia stepped further into the room. "Will it talk to me?" "Sweetness, once you get him started, you'll have trouble getting him to shut up."

"Now that's hardly a polite thing to say," the computer interjected.

Dimitri drew Josia to where a large chair sat before one of the blinking panels, pulling her into his lap as he collapsed into it.

"I apologize, Arthur. You only speak when you have something to say-which is pretty much all the time. But now you have someone new to nag...that is, converse with. Say h.e.l.lo to Josia, Arthur."

"h.e.l.lo, Josia," the ship said primly. "I'm glad to make your acquaintance."

"I'm glad to meet you, too." She glanced around, trying to ignore how Dimitri's hand was ma.s.saging her breast through her thin robe. "But I don't know where to look when I'm speaking to you."

"Ah, perhaps a visual aid would be helpful." In the corner a hologram leapt to life, the figure that of a tall, spare, moderately balding man with a thin nose, thinner lips, and dark, knowing eyes. He was dressed in an unusual costume- black pants with a blacker stripe down the sides and a matching coat much longer in back than the front, worn over an immaculate white shirt topped by a narrow black tie tied in a bow. After arching one thin eyebrow at Dimitri, he turned his piercing gaze on her and a smile curved his lips as he bowed. "I am Arthur, dear lady and I'm delighted you've decided to join us."

"Arthur? That's an unusual name."

Dimitri snickered. "I named him after one of my favorite twentieth-century films, sweetness. You know, a two- dimensional vid entertainment. He reminds me of the butler in the movie."

The hologram rolled his eyes. "It has been of no use reminding him that Arthur was the main character and not the name of the butler."

Unperturbed, Dimitri nibbled the back of her neck and she felt the tips of his fangs scratch lightly at her skin. "It's a great name, though. He looks like an Arthur, don't you agree, Josia?

Well, you will eventually. Arthur can be a bit intimidating at first, but you'll get used to him. Soon you'll be following his orders just like I do."

A snort of disgust came from the computer. "You follow my orders? That will be the day. Pray, don't listen to him, dear lady. My only concern will be to make your stay as enjoyable as possible."

Dimitri found her nipple under her robe and tweaked it gently.

"Her stay will be permanent, Arthur, and I'll make certain she finds it enjoyable."

Josia could not do this with anyone looking on, even someone as inhuman as a computer. Besides, there was something about the way Arthur stared at her that made her think he was something other than a mere program. She caught Dimitri's wayward hand and pulled it away from the breast he was fondling, much as she enjoyed what it was doing. "This is not the time, Dimitri."

"He looked at her in dismay. "Why ever not?"

Before she could answer, Josia's stomach growled and she could have melted in embarra.s.sment. While a grand "send-off"

feast had been given her that afternoon, fear of her impending doom had left her unable to eat a bite and it had been a long time since her nervous breakfast that morning. She'd been too frightened of her future to eat. It was a testament to how comfortable she was with Dimitri that her appet.i.te had returned.

Arthur's holographic eyebrows flew up. "I believe our guest is hungry, Dimitri! Why don't you take her to the lounge and I'll whip something together." With a look of immense satisfaction, he rubbed his virtual hands together and disappeared from view.

Dimitri chuckled. "Oh, now you have made him happy. He fancies himself a gourmet chef, but with only me to prepare food for he's had no one to practice on."

Lifting her in his arms, he stood up and started out the door.

Josia put one hand on his face. "Please put me down, Dimitri.

I must be getting heavy."

He stared at her with a perplexed expression. "You aren't at all heavy to me, sweetness. To me you weigh nothing and I enjoy holding you."

"Yes, but..." her voice trailed off as he squeezed her a.s.s gently.

"Yes, your b.u.t.t is really nice, too." He turned her face- forward against the inner corridor wall and rubbed his c.o.c.k against the cleft in her a.s.s. "I could really enjoy taking you here..." he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "I don't suppose anyone has ever f.u.c.ked you in the a.s.s before?"

Not likely given that she'd been a virgin up to an hour ago.

Even so, she got hot just thinking about it. Being with Dimitri was going to give her any number of interesting experiences, she could tell.

Down the corridor came the AI's disembodied voice, "If you please, Dimitri, could you bring the young woman here before she wastes away before our eyes. She'll need every bit of strength she can get to keep up with you." Dimitri chuckled ruefully in her ear and leaned back, releasing her. "Arthur is right on that one. Let's see what he's cooked up for you."

Josia wasn't sure if what she was eating was gourmet, but it was certainly tasty, and she had a second helping under Arthur's reappeared holographic approval. Dimitri helped himself to a gla.s.s of something thick and oddly crimson in color.

She blanched. "It looks like blood."

With a sigh Dimitri swirled it around in his gla.s.s. "Not really.

Doesn't really taste like it either, but it has the ability to keep a Dark-pilot alive. It's called Artiheme-an artificial blood product." He took another sip and grimaced. "You can live off it but many of my kind would rather die instead."

"If you don't like it, why are you drinking it?"

"Because my sweet, as delicious as your blood is, I can't really take as much of it as I need at the moment." He finished off the gla.s.s. "This is necessary for now."

"Will it be necessary later?"

He smiled and touched the small wounds on the side of her neck. "Not most of the time. Having you here will be a delight." Arthur cleared his virtual throat. "Dimitri, this might be a good time to finish with the cargo."

Reluctantly Dimitri nodded. "If I do it now," he told her regretfully, "We'll be able to spend the rest of the night making love."

Josia watched him go, all at once fearful to have him out of her sight.

"Not to worry, Dimitri, I'll take good care of her," Arthur called after him before returning his attention to her. "Perhaps after you finish dinner you would like to bathe and dress in something more comfortable?"

A bath sounded heavenly and anything would be better than the too-small robe she still wore. "Would you have anything in my size?"

The image wavered a little and Josia could almost swear the AI was laughing. "Oh I'm sure I can come up with something." He pursed his lips as if deep in thought. "Perhaps a gown in an emerald green? And a silken fabric, I think, something clingy." He snapped his fingers. "Yes, I know just the thing."

Arthur disappeared in a burst of static and Josia dug into her delicious meal with renewed interest. Being a Dark-pilot bride was getting better all the time!

Chapter Five.

Josia lay back into the deep warm water and let the heat soothe her tired and aching body. She'd been surprised to see how big the tub was-big enough to easily accommodate two people. For a moment Josia thought about sharing the tub with Dimitri. Making love in the water, what fun that would be!

Even without him she enjoyed it. She was still a little tender from where Dimitri had taken her virginity. He'd shown her so much care afterward, particularly when he'd held her over his head and used his mouth on her. He'd promised the next time they made love would be in a bed...she was looking forward to it.

In fact, in spite of her soreness, her body reacted to the thought of his firm hard c.o.c.k exploring her intimate s.p.a.ces.

She wondered what that long, firm organ of his tasted like...

probably wonderful, if the taste of his lips was any indication.

Arthur's clipped tones interrupted her reverie. She'd told him she was growing used to his disembodied voice, so he didn't bother to materialize in the bathroom. It gave her a feeling of privacy to not have him physically here, even though being built into the ship, he was here, sort of... It was confusing when she thought about it, so she tried not to.

"Would Lady Josia like to try the tub's jets? They are excellent for relaxing."

"Sure, Arthur." Immediately, gently pulsating jets of warm water hit her back and front simultaneously. They felt heavenly on her aches, particularly her back, strained by being left tied up much of the afternoon, plus being held against a tree when Dimitri had taken her for the first time.

Not that she was complaining. But the jets really felt good.

Particularly that one. There was one jet on the floor of the tub that was positioned right between her legs. Josia slid forward enough to let the jet hit her sensitive c.l.i.t. Oh that felt good!

She let out a little moan.

Over the sounds of the tub's jets she could have sworn she heard Arthur chuckling. Immediately the jet between her legs became more animated, hitting her in pulsating waves that she found even more interesting.

The truth hit her immediately. Stars above, Arthur was controlling the jets! Self-conscious that the ship's computer knew just what she was up to, and even worse, was helping things along, Josia tried to slide back from the seductive jet in the middle of the tub, only to have another one fire up, directly aimed at her a.n.u.s. The combination of the two nearly drove her out of the tub. "Is something amiss, my lady?" The AI's solicitous tone belied his earlier chuckle.

"Are you controlling the jets in the tub?"

"Of course." Immediately they stopped and the water around her grew still. "Did you want them to do something else? They have many functions. Just tell me what you want and I'll be pleased to accommodate you." His enthusiasm took her by surprise.

"The jets...have many functions?"

"Certainly," Arthur continued in his clipped tones. "They are good for easing aching muscles, for relaxing tired bodies, and for stimulating the s.e.x organs. They are particularly good for that I've been told. Not having s.e.x organs, I have to take Dimitri's word on it."

"Dimitri uses the tub jets that way?" She couldn't believe the Dark-pilot sought pleasure at the hands...well, through the programming of a computer.

"Well after all, my lady, he has been in s.p.a.ce a very long time.

That can be very hard on anyone, even a Dark-pilot. He has to find some release."

Josia considered that. Of course Arthur was right. Why shouldn't Dimitri program special jets into his bathtub?

"You don't think he'd mind if I do the same thing?"

"My dear, Dimitri would never deny you any pleasure. He'd be more concerned if you denied yourself."

Put that way there didn't seem to be any harm in it. "Then turn them back on, Arthur, particularly the ones in the bottom.

"As you wish." The AI's voice sounded smug, but Josia didn't care as the jets resumed and waves of warm stimulating water hit her sensitive spots, sending wave after wave of sensation through her. She leaned back and let out a heartfelt groan as the water did its work.

"That feels so good, Arthur."

"Of course, Lady Josia. It's supposed to."