He just shrugged, reaching behind him. "All I have is your word that you belong here. For all I know you're nothing but a homeless person looking for a place to sleep for the night." He pulled out a pair of shiny metal shackles and dangled them in front of her face.

Her eyes widened in fear. He wasn't going to really confine her was he? There had to be some mistake. She glanced away.

Where was Te'Lam? Where were her personal guards? Had something happened to them?

As though he could read her mind, the corner of his lips 122 eXtasy's Collective Mind tilted up. A dimple winked in his left cheek as a rumbling chuckle filled with satisfaction swept over her. "There's no one here to rescue you, lady. It's just you, me, and my handcuffs."

Starr swallowed thickly then took a step back in retreat.

Something about his smile, the tone of his voice made her insides quiver with need. She should be searching for an avenue of escape not standing here hoping he'd back her against the wall and f.u.c.k her senseless. What in the world is wrong with me?

"Now, drop the towel and hold out your hands in front of you."

"What?" she squeaked. He didn't seriously expect her to stand around and let him take her into custody naked, did he?

Well, he had a surprise in store if that's what he thought. Giving no thought to her nudity, Starr dropped her towel, and took a step forward, holding out her hands as he requested.

As he reached for her, the silver shackles in his hand, she sidestepped and dashed down the hallway and toward the stairs.

She hadn't taken but a few steps when she felt his hot breath brush against the sensitive nape of her neck. His thundering footsteps ate up the distance between them. She knew before he reached her she'd never get away. But the chase... The chase had cream sliding down her thighs, preparing her for his c.o.c.k, for the f.u.c.king she now knew he'd intended all along.

Excitement skittered down her nerves. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Thump... thump... thump... her c.l.i.t twitched with her every running step forward. Only a couple more feet separated her from the top landing of the staircase and her freedom, but freedom was the last thing she wanted. Before she could fret that he'd actually let her get away, she felt his ma.s.sive arm wrap around her waist and drag her to a skidding stop.

Warm puffs of air teased her as he lowered his mouth to whisper into her ear. "Now, now. Where do you think you're 123 Violet Visions going? You're not resisting arrest are you?"

Whatever she would have said disappeared when she felt the ma.s.sive thickness of his c.o.c.k pressing insistently against her a.s.s.

Oh, G.o.ddess. Never had she felt a man's member that was so large before. If all Earth men were built this way, it was no wonder her mother was wont to stay in her chambers with her father for all hours of the day and night.

"What..." Starr licked her dry lips and tried to speak again.

"What do you want of me?"

"I want you to get down on your hands and knees, place your head on your arms, and lift your a.s.s in the air. Then I want you to scream out my name as I f.u.c.k you."

Starr began to tremble. Desire and need poured through her body. No one had ever used such language with her, had been so forceful with his demands. There was no way she could deny him, deny what her body desperately required. She needed him to take her, needed him to have control.

"I-I don't know your name," she whispered, trying her best to keep her voice from quivering as her body continued to do.

"It's Rex. Rex Madison, and after tonight, you'll never forget it."

She didn't know whether that was a threat or a promise, but either way, it boded well for her. The arm around her waist began to loosen, until just his hand held her, and for a second she thought he was leaving her. But before she could form a protest, his other hand reached up to grip her. "Now, get on your knees like you were told."

Unable to deny either of them, she followed his demands, dropping down to her knees. The fibers of the carpeting sc.r.a.ped against her nipples when she moved into position, lowering her upper body to rest upon her arms. The sensation was more than she could handle and she moaned in desperate need.

124.

eXtasy's Collective Mind She heard the lowering of his zipper, then the rustle of fabric behind her. Her thighs quivered, her nether lips dripped copious amounts of cream. "Spread your legs wider. I want to see your glistening c.u.n.t. I want to see your pretty pink p.u.s.s.y flowering for me as you tremble beneath my touch."

Before she could do as he asked, she felt the brush of his pants against the back of her thighs. She gasped at the sudden sensations bombarding her. She had no time to take them all in before he parted her thighs himself.

"I said spread your legs, lady." She felt the calluses on his fingers as he parted her nether lips, filling her with them, stroking her, stretching her, building her desire into a need she'd never felt before, an intensity she'd never dreamed possible.

He slipped his fingers from her sheath and disappointment clouded her thoughts. How can he leave me this way, needing him so? Before she could voice her plea, beg him to f.u.c.k her she felt him positioning his c.o.c.k against her dripping channel. Her woman's juices continued to run, covering her nether lips and coating his huge c.o.c.k as he slid into her, inch by slow torturous inch.

She grunted in disbelief as he seated himself fully within her.

He filled her entire channel, reaching a depth she didn't know possible. Before she could adjust to his thickness or length, he began to withdraw. His c.o.c.k remained only a bare inch inside her channel when he rammed himself inside her.

Over and over he drove into her, stretching her, pounding her in ferocious need that matched her own raging desires. She groaned, panted, and in the end pleaded with him. "Rex, please... please... I need to come... Please make me come."

She pushed back as he drove forward, forcing his c.o.c.k deeper and deeper with his every thrust. His b.a.l.l.s slapped against 125 Violet Visions her a.s.s, sending shards of pleasure down her every nerve ending.

Heat and power began to move through her blood, sweat bloomed on her skin as her body started to begin the transformation from sterility to fertility, creating the egg needed for conception.

His hands gripped her hips even tighter, rumbling groans and heavy breathing echoed down the hallway. Were they his or hers?

In the end it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but this moment, this crawling and rapacious need.

Brilliant white light seeped from her skin, surrounding them in the mystical bubble she'd only ever heard about amidst whispers with the mated members of her people. She knew a child, their child would come of this maddened f.u.c.king and she rejoiced. Her c.l.i.t twitched, pulsing with need. Waves and waves of pleasure washed over her as her entire body clenched in release.

Her mate's b.a.l.l.s tightened, his c.o.c.k grew even harder as his release began to build. Just as she felt his body pulse, he pulled out of her, shooting his life giving fluids upon her back.

"No," she cried. "Why, why would you do such a thing?"

"Because Sheika Starr, you and I need to talk before I get you with child."

Even though her body still pulsed with her release, her brain was once again functioning. "What did you call me? I don't remember giving you my name."

He sighed behind her, and she could practically feel his reluctance when he separated their bodies. "Come, love, I think I have some explaining to do. Besides, there's something I want to show you that might go a long way toward making you understand."

Hurt and confusion battled within her but she shoved them aside. She was the current Sheika of Talea and therefore knew to 126 eXtasy's Collective Mind listen to all sides before making a decision, despite her warring emotions.

When she made to stand, Rex's big hands lifted her as though she weighed no more than a feather, and cuddled her against his chest. She felt his heart thundering beneath her ear. When his lips pressed a soft kiss against her temple, her own heart rate kicked up a notch, striving to match the wildly beating pace of her mate.

Soon, she found herself lying in the center of the bed, in the room she'd first seen hours earlier. The same room in which she'd imagined the mysterious caretaker ravaging her. His arms loosened, then let go completely when he stepped to the foot of the bed to pull the luxurious covering over her.

Her gaze darted around the room before finally stopping to rest on the framed image atop the stand beside his bed. She gasped in surprise, and in wonder. How did he get this image of her? And why would he keep it so close to where he sleeps? She would be the first thing he saw when he awoke, and the last that he saw before he slept. On Talea, that was a place of honor.

She felt him behind her, waiting for her to say something. Yet, all she could do was let the wonder and joy, the warmth and happiness she felt, flow through her. "Why? Why do you have this here? How did you get it?"

She heard him sigh, an almost guilty sound, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from the picture of her laughing up at her mother and father, her brother standing in the background making a face into the imager.

"I've known of your mother, your father, you and your brother since I was but a small child. From the first time one of your mother's priestesses came down and offered my father the position as caretaker over Rafe's estate, in fact. As to the pictures, I've been in love with your image, with you, since I was 127 Violet Visions old enough to know the difference between a woman and a man."

That got her attention. She whipped her head around, needing to see his eyes, read the truth in his expressions. "What did you say?"

"You heard me, Starr. I've been waiting for you my entire life.

When I was certain I could support a wife, raise a family, I pet.i.tioned your parents, convinced them to send you here to Earth... to me, as my mate, my wife, the mother of my children."

Starr licked her lips, completely stunned and amazed this man wanted her, had pet.i.tioned her parents to bring her here.

"You want me? There must be thousands of women from your own planet that would be more suitable for you."

"There may be, but you are the one I want, the one I've always wanted. Besides, you're staying here with me. Your ship left here more than an hour ago back to your home world. Your life is here with me and nothing you can say will change that, lady."

Starr smiled, the warmth that only simmered inside, now raged into a full-blown explosion of joy and happiness. "Then what are you waiting for? Make me your mate, your wife, and the mother of your children." She lowered her eyes to half-mast.

"And use those handcuffs you mentioned earlier while you're at it."

His eyes flared, lighting with pa.s.sion and heat. "As you demand, Sheika. As you demand..."

Shar'Tule, the former Sheika of Talea, switched off the viewscreen and turned toward her mate. "It is done, Rafe."

He smiled at her and her insides quivered with the need that 128 eXtasy's Collective Mind never seemed to go away. "Good. Then our daughter is settled. I can't wait to be a grandfather to her children. And speaking of that, when is Shane set to return to resume his rule where he left off before we arranged his 'mysterious death'? I miss my son. I want to hold my grandson in my arms now that he's bigger than my hands and meet my daughter-in-law for the first time."

"Yes, I'm sure you do. But you're also looking forward to the 'guy's night out' you and Shane used to share as well."

He nodded, a naughty twinkle lit his eyes. "That's all true. But with Shane home, that gives me more time to make love to you, my mate."

Shar lowered her eyes, impressed with his erection even now jutting toward her, weeping its seed. She licked her lips in antic.i.p.ation. "Then what are you waiting for?"

129.

Violet Visions The Last a.s.signation By Sean MacReady he robot brain guiding the limousine reduced antigravity lift T and slowed until the vehicle barely drifted through the stronghold's ma.s.sive stone gate. The most sophisticated scanning devices available identified, probed, rayed, looked, sniffed, and listened, before the sleek white craft settled to the flagstones of the courtyard.

The lone human occupant waited patiently. Anywhere else, fawning sycophants would swarm to escort Azulema, and she was not going to forego her due to please a man who could not be pleased. Particularly on what could well be her last performance.

The respite, after the limousine powered down, allowed her to unfold the old-fashioned compact and make sure the overland journey from the s.p.a.ceport hadn't sullied her perfection. The silvered gla.s.s mirror had cost a small fortune, antique as it was, but it accurately reflected her flawless lavender complexion without any power, except ambient light. Instructions from the Order of Renunciation had been explicit-she would not be 130 eXtasy's Collective Mind allowed through the door with anything that held even a trace of electrical current, or any type of stored power or memory that could produce any kind of recording. The paranoia quotient for this a.s.signation was one hundred percent. Aware how easily that could prove fatal, Azulema pulled the hood of her cloak up and composed herself.

Eventually the door opened. The man outside was obviously a flunky. Even in the most rational organization, no one important would be dressed in crude work boots and an ill-fitting tunic made of some hairy fiber. He was also incensed. The leader of his order might indulge in forbidden pleasures, but Flunky was too fanatical to approve.

Azulema stepped to the door and held out her hand. Flunky scowled and clasped his behind him. She smiled and trans.m.u.ted her gesture into a sensual movement as she stepped out, swaying so her white cloak settled around her soft curves. Her feet were bare, but the stones had worn over the centuries, and the cool smoothness was pleasant.

She glanced around the courtyard at what little there was to see. Crudely squared stone blocks made up the outer walls and buildings. Ma.s.sive wooden doors and shutters matched the ma.s.sive wooden gate that closed ponderously behind her. All the state-of-the-art technology protecting the place was hidden, save for the oily rainbow of a force shield arching overhead. Even the squad of human guards was posted out of sight.

She ignored the main tower that was her obvious destination and stepped out of the way. Flunky tried to slam the limousine door. Frustrating his ire, it sighed gently shut.

Her patron for the evening watched her. She could feel his gaze, even though she couldn't spot which window he was behind. Other than that, the courtyard was deserted. She stood patiently while Flunky figured out she waited for him to lead the 131 Violet Visions way. He trotted to the tower entrance, then had to pause, holding the door open, as she glided across the courtyard. She barely crossed the threshold before he slammed the door behind her with a satisfying boom. The wood was real, solid. She couldn't hear his boots on the flagstones, though she suspected he was running for his cell and an evening of penitential flagellation.

The great-room was stone cool, and a haze from authentic burning torches floated under the bare ceiling. Unlike every great-room she had ever seen, this one had no banners hanging from the rafters, no tapestries cutting the chill radiating from the walls, no decoration whatsoever. Even the former laird's heraldry had been painstakingly chipped from the stones of the cold hearth, probably by a flunky doing penance.

When her eyes adjusted enough to see to the opposite end of the room, Azulema detected a wizened man standing at the bottom of the staircase. Fine leather sandals and a cloak of wool marked him as one many levels up in the Order's hierarchy. His hand controller told her she was being scanned again. After reading the results, the gatekeeper looked up, and in a dry voice said, "Now I must search your person."

Azulema cast her hood back. The rays of her coronet opened over her hairless head. She sprang the clasp at her throat and let the cloak slide from her shoulders. Gatekeeper's eyes widened.

The open-weave net stretched over her lithe figure concealed nothing, and the only cloth beneath it was a small triangle covering her smooth mound. Her lavender skin held its consistently pale shade without a single blemish, only slightly lighter on the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet, and darker purple on her lips and aureoles. There was no trace of hair on her firm body. She advanced toward him until he held up a shaky hand, and then she turned about to allow his rheumy eyes complete access to her charms.

132.

eXtasy's Collective Mind When she faced him again, he cleared his throat and whispered, "Well, then." In a firmer voice he pointed a scanning stylus at her headdress, and demanded, "What is that?"

"A songstone." The sea-green jewel caught her carefully modulated words and left a soft musical accompaniment hanging in the air like an exotic fragrance. In her normal voice she added, "It moderates sound waves according to my moods. No other power is involved." She handed him her clutch so he could inspect its meager contents. It was lighter than usual without her communicator and her electronic library.

He stepped aside and gestured up the stairs. "All the way to the top."

Azulema felt his tension as she pa.s.sed, but couldn't tell whether his mutter delivered a curse or offered a sanction.

She climbed, maintaining tranquility, restraining her own knowledge that the fate of the universe rested on her slender shoulders. As well as her own future.

The stairs wound up three floors before she reached the one open door. Fine candles lit the room beyond, and warmth flowed from it onto the landing. She entered and bowed to He-Who-Cannot-Be-Pleased. "My Lord." The songstone added a major chord.

He swung the door shut. "I am never 'your lord.' Worldly governments use that false t.i.tle. Only the Rational Universe is worthy of adoration." His voice was harsh.

She posed, so he could appraise her appearance, using the long moment to evaluate his emotional state. His face held a righteous scowl. Instead of the wild locks of the Naturalist Cabal, he had short-cropped brown hair. He was tall, ascetic. His arms were folded sternly across his narrow chest with his hands tucked primly into full sleeves of brown silk. But the front of his robe was already tented.

133.

Violet Visions Azulema thought she had a chance. "Very well, My..." The accompaniment ended in discord, asking the question.

"You may address me as 'Your Temperance,' as is due the Supreme Minion of the Order of Renunciation. What are you called?"

"Azulema, Your Temperance. Would you care for some wine?" She stepped toward the low table that held a flagon and cups.

"It is not wine, but the unfermented juice of the vine. Alcohol degrades rationality."

"Of course, Your Temperance." The songstone added a minor chord.

His eyes narrowed. "Yes. s.e.xual pleasure is also forbidden.

But I am about to embark upon a mighty crusade that will reunite the cabals of the Order of Renunciation and scour the universe free of evil thoughts. As a sign of reconciliation Minion Lombard of the Naturalist Cabal procured you for me so that I may wrestle with the Diversion of Depravity and gird my loins for the coming ordeal."

"As you wish, Your Temperance." She poured the blood-red liquid.

He took the cup she offered. "I would explain further, but it is not important for you to understand." He drank. "Or do you?"

He pierced her with his gaze. "Is Azulema your true name?"

She looked into his suspicion and without the songstone answered, "It is."

"And are you the disciple of any false cabal of the true Order?"

"I am not."

"Do you believe in the teachings of the Order of Renunciation."