much more respect than that. From him. From those who forced him to steal her away like this.
Besides, if he felt her come against him, he was quite certain he wouldn’t be able to hold back the urges surging through him to join her. He would waste himself like a lowlife residue rider, and that was simply unacceptable.
Julian’s powerful mind grabbed hold of her fatly woven pleasure, stalling it until frustration made her squirm and loosen her grip on him. Inevitably, she sought to touch herself, desperate to jolt forward what he held in abeyance. He surged back away from her, well aware of how his body ached so badly he could hardly see straight. But that was okay. There would be time for more after. After she learned to accept what would become of her. He watched, completely mesmerized, as her hands parted in opposite directions over her skin, one diving beneath her top to fondle a breast and the fat, thrusting nipple so easily seen under the silver. The other headed between her legs, scrabbling to get under her skirt and to touch herself all at the same time. Julian carefully resituated himself, ignoring his own discomfort so he could sit her up between his legs, his chest bracing against her back as her hair rained straight and black between their bodies. Grasping her wrists, he released his hold on her psychic pleasure. She began to build up again instantly, the sharp climb making her cry out as her hands left her body in order to crawl up his arms. She clung to his biceps as he smoothed her little dress back into place. The unbelievable beauty of her body would be his and his alone, he thought with determination. He needed her to be this way at this moment in order to make passage, but he would give them no other part of her unless she volunteered it. Even so, she would be his.
His.
Julian felt her reaching for the jolting crest of her orgasm, his mindheart overwhelmed with the rush of it. He gathered it all, channeled it into a hard, boring tunnel of energy, and then let her explode. Asia screamed as climax rippled in hard, senseless waves through her mind and body. But instead of the sharp high and dramatic drop she might be used to, this continued on and on, until she couldn’t even breathe anymore. Her nails gouged into Julian’s upper arms, but he bore it quietly as he guided them home.
Chapter 3
Julian reached to gently turn her raised knees to one side, protecting her from the eyes of the Ampliphi as they abruptly appeared before them, seated on the floor in the center of Justice Hall. The Gate was still brilliant around them, more so than usual as all the excess power of Asia’s energy spilled out in the form of an azure and lavender light. Smoke scudded out over the intricately tiled floor of the Ampliphi chamber. Then, with a last gasp for breath, Asia collapsed weakly against Julian, the energy that Gate travel had taken from her leaving her drained in spite of her plentiful resources. This was as much his fault as anything. She had so disrupted and disturbed his focus that he had not finessed the portal of travel so it wouldn’t burn her out so much. As it was, listening and feeling her reach that crest as she had undulated in beautiful, bursting pleasure had just about undone him. He had never seen anything like it in his entire career.
Not in his entire lifetime.
Considering he had conducted the sexual energy of a great many human women in that time, that was truly saying something.
The Gate resonated with one last glow around them and then disappeared with a hard, vibrating snap of cut-off energy. Julian turned up his eyes to the Ampliphi as he cradled his unwilling prize between his hands and thighs, holding her tightly against his chest.
“Julian, why have you returned?”
The six beings around him were always magnificent to see. Over time they had evolved so they could spend much of their time as pure psychic energy, even in spite of the energy crisis. It was such an amazing accomplishment that it deserved all of one’s respect and awe. Only the Ampliphi were this powerful, and only their advanced age, experience, and wisdom could have allowed for them to achieve such a grand state. They were proof of what miraculous things could be done with a minimum of energy.
However, the strain of starvation showed on them just as it did all of Julian’s people. At the moment, though, they were all glowing quite a bit more vigorously than usual because of the explosive flood of energy Asia had brought into the room. Their silvery auras were brilliant to look upon. Julian couldn’t help the flash of possessive jealousy that raced through him when he realized that they had been exposed to the fallout of Asia’s climax. No one had intended to steal from her, but her crest had been so powerful and effervescent that it must have been forced onto the unsuspecting Ampliphi. Julian struggled to keep from resenting their fully flushed appearances and silvery glow that nearly blinded him in that moment.
Energy was not to be hoarded selfishly, he knew. Still, he found himself strongly despising the idea of having to share any part of Asia with anyone else.
Julian tried to dismiss the possessive impulse. He focused on the Ampliphi who had spoken while pushing aside the telltale emotions spinning through him that he knew they could easily identify in his aura.
“Ampliphi Kloe.” He greeted his sponsor first, as respect and tradition demanded. Then he turned his attention to the leader of the Ampliphi. “Ampliphi Christophe,” he greeted with equal respect and a grave nod of his head. “I have conducted this woman across against her will.”
His announcement was greeted with one or two bright flashes of irritation. He had expected they wouldn’t be happy, but there was nothing he could do about that now.
“You have been compromised,” Ampliphi Rennin noted, disapproval sharp in his tone.
“To what extent, I do not yet know,” he acknowledged. “But I suspect it to be only a minimal exposure of attention. She did not know I was not human. Cleaners will need to be sent behind me. Blood was shed.”
“We can see that,” Ampliphi Christophe noted, drawing Julian’s attention to the blood dripping heavily onto the floor beneath his leg. “This is very disappointing, Gatherer. Only seven months? You have never been discovered so quickly before. This is a setback we as a species cannot afford.”
“I am aware of that, Ampliphi. I beg your forgiveness. However, my circuit as Gatherer would have ended anyway. This woman is kindra to me.”
He felt the surprise that rippled through the august body of beings. He hardly faulted them for it. He was in just as much shock as they were over the development.
“Impossible!” Ampliphi Kloe swirled in angry violet. “Kindra,” she scoffed. “More likely you make excuses to drop your responsibilities.”
Julian bristled at the accusation. He was used to Kloe’s bitter ways, but she was calling him a liar and it would not be tolerated. He didn’t care who she was.
“How can you be certain?” Ampliphi Sydelle spoke up. There was movement to her right and Julian became aware of Gatherer Kine’s presence over her shoulder. He wondered why the Gatherer was home instead of in the field.
“This cannot be explained. It cannot be quantified,” Julian said carefully. “I know many believe the kind to be a myth, but anything written about so much cannot be make-believe.”
“She is human,” Sydelle countered dismissively, ever the arguer. But she did not argue to undermine so much as to test his faith in his position.
“Are humans not our salvation in every other way?” Julian demanded. “We are doomed to die without them. They were chosen because of how close they are to us in makeup, minds, and emotion. Why not a human? We rely on their spirits for everything else, why can there not be kind among them?”
Julian’s
