When he finally put her down, Mia had been breathless with laughter.
“Life is to be enjoyed, my sweet,” he said, still holding on to her, the expression on his face unexpectedly serious. “That’s why I love you so much. I enjoy you, Mia – you enhance every moment of my existence. Your smile, your laugh – even your stubbornness – make me happier than I’ve ever been before. Even when we’re not together, the thought of you makes me feel content, because I know that you’re here, that when I come home, I can hold you, feel you –” his eyes gleamed brighter, “– fuck you.”
Mia stared at him, her nipples hardening as her skin prickled with arousal.
“Yes,” he said, his voice low and husky, “let’s not forget about that last part. I very much enjoy fucking you. I love the way you moan when I’m deep inside you, the flush on your cheeks when you’re turned on . . . I love the way you smell, the way you taste. I want to eat you like dessert . . .” He reached between her legs, his fingers parting her folds, stroking her there, spreading the moisture around her opening. “Your pussy is sweeter than any fruit,” he whispered, sinking to his knees and lifting the bottom of her dress, “more delicious than chocolate . . .”
And Mia nearly climaxed right then and there at the first touch of his tongue. Moaning, she buried her fingers in his hair, holding on to him as his skilled mouth brought her to a peak, pleasuring her until she shattered into a million pieces.
* * *
“Say that again,” Korum demanded, staring at Ellet.
“I think I found someone who can reverse Saret’s procedure and undo Mia’s memory loss,” Ellet repeated, crossing her long legs. They were sitting in Ellet’s lab, where Korum had brought Mia after rescuing her from Saret’s clutches.
“Who?”
“An up-and-coming apprentice at the Rolert lab. Apparently she has just developed a way to undo almost any mind procedure. It’s all very hush-hush, which is why we didn’t know about this earlier. You can imagine the implications of something like that. Everyone who’s undergone any kind of rehabilitation would want this.”
“The Rolert lab,” Korum said, staring at Ellet. “On Krina.”
“Yes.”
“I see.” Korum got up and started to pace.
“Do you even need it anymore?” Ellet asked, staring at him with her large dark eyes. “Mia seems quite happy as is . . . and so do you.” There was a slightly wistful note in her voice.
Korum glanced at her sharply. Though they had been lovers, he’d never had any deeper feelings for Ellet – and he had been sure she didn’t have any for him either.
As though to answer his unspoken question, Ellet smiled. “I’m happy for you,” she said softly. “I really am. What you and I had has been over for a long time. I just never thought a human girl would be the one to make you feel this way.”
Korum sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Me neither, Ellet. Believe me, it’s quite a shock to me as well.”
“Oh, I believe you,” Ellet said, still smiling. She was beautiful – objectively, Korum recognized that – but her looks now left him cold. Every woman he saw these days was measured against Mia and found wanting – another side effect of his obsession with his charl.
“Can you please connect me with this apprentice?” Korum asked, returning to the subject at hand. “I’d like to speak to her.”
Leaving Ellet, Korum headed toward his own laboratory, where his designers worked. Although they could all work remotely, meeting only in virtual environments, something about physical proximity tended to foster the creative process, resulting in improved team cohesiveness and more innovative project outcomes.
Entering the large cream-colored building, Korum greeted Rezav, one of his lead designers, and went into his office, a private space where he usually did his best work. This past week had been a quiet one, with his employees relaxing after last month’s rush to finalize the designs for the new shields. Normally, this would’ve been the perfect time for Korum to work on his own designs – but the past couple of weeks had been far from normal.
Making sure that nobody could enter his office, Korum attached a virtual reality node to his temple and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was standing next to a large river, surrounded by the familiar green, red, and gold tones of Krina vegetation.
The sun was bright, even hotter than at the equator on Earth. Korum could feel its rays on the bare skin of his arms, and he basked in the pleasant sensation. Drawing in a deep breath, he let his lungs fill with pure, clean air and the heady aroma of blooming plants.
“Quite different from Earth, isn’t it?” a deep voice said to his right, and Korum turned his head to see Lahur standing there, less than five feet away. He hadn’t heard the Elder’s approach – but then no one could move quite like Lahur. The ancient Krinar was the ultimate predator, his speed and strength as legendary as the man himself.
“Yes,” Korum said simply. “Quite different.” If there was one thing he had learned during his recent interactions with the Elders, it was the importance of saying as little as possible. Lahur – the oldest of them all – liked silence and seemed to have contempt for those who spoke unnecessarily.
The fact that Lahur was speaking to Korum at all was incredible. Korum was no stranger to the Elders, having appealed to them numerous times for various Council matters. However, all of his prior communications had been done through the official channels, and the Elders almost never met with the Councilors in person – either virtually or in the real world. So when Korum had reached out to the Elders on Mia’s behalf several weeks ago, he had never
expected to have his request taken seriously, much less to be granted a virtual meeting.
A virtual meeting that had somehow turned into an entire series of interviews in the weeks to come.
Lahur stared at him, his eyes dark and unfathomable. Like Korum, he had been conceived naturally, not in a lab, and his asymmetrical features were closer to those of the ancients than to the modern Krinar.
“We have considered your request,” the Elder said, his unblinking gaze trained on Korum.