Love As The Darker Binding Ch. 08

Pob reached for Masanna's hand and pulled it forward around herself a little. The faun got the idea and did the same with the other one. To the imp, it felt good as she thought ahead a little to when all of them slept against each other. Four warm bodies with one hot one in the middle seemed to feel about right to her.

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In another part of the craft a short time later, Reed looked up from where he sat; trying to come to grips with the new -- to him -- way that the diagrammatic symbols on the system drawings looked. It wasn't too hard to come to grips with, though here was a lot to learn, all the same.

He smiled, "Hi Sandryah. Have you come to watch as I scratch my head in confusion?"

The hell hound didn't shake his head. His tone said everything. "No. I only came to spend a little time near you, if it is no bother."

"Oh, it's no bother," Reed smiled, "Besides, I've already learned to be a little careful reaching up. Sometimes, where I'd scratch happens to be under one of these horns and I end up smacking my knuckles."

Reed's expression changed a little and he laughed, "But I'm already used to feeling them up there and I don't notice the weight of them much anymore."

He sighed a little, "It's all a lot for me to come to terms with. I didn't mean to cause anything, but I can tell that I've made a mess of things pretty much right out of the gate. I can see that the little one with the long hair -- whose name I can't recall at the moment -- "

"Her name is Pob," Sandy said, "You have not really hurt her. She is more bothered by the actions of Ouna, the large one who is like you. As I see it, what happened should not have gone that way, though I do not think that she faults you for it. If you really wish to, you might offer her an apology, since she is here behind me."

Reed looked and saw Pob as she tried to smile at him a little shyly.

"I'm very sorry about what happened," Reed began, "I didn't know much and the way that the lord guy was talking, I guess I just thought that --"

"It's alright," Pob said, "I feel stupid because I thought that Ouna and I could have a lot of fun together with you -- which isn't really possible, now that I've gotten over myself. But I found somebody who can maybe help you a little if you're trying to remember anything. You've never seen her, but the one who lived in there before you knew her."

She almost had to drag Lashta out from where she stood trying to hide herself.

"This is Lashta," Pob smiled, "I've told her that there's a confused human called Reed in there now. But she remembers Ytsmon, the demon who your body used to belong to. The group that he was in are all dead now, thanks to the demon mage who wiped out Ytsmon's mind and put yours into that head a day later. I met her outside a little while ago. She was out there hoping to find out a little about her father.

One of the soldiers in your group was a friend of Ytsmon's female's before he knew her and through her, he met the one he cared for and came to love. From what she tells me, Lashta's mother died a while ago, before this all happened to him.

We introduced Lashta to the one we work for and now her job is to try to help you remember a little, since we think that there is more there in your head. I'm hoping that she'll help you remember a little more about Sandy too.

She's going to bunk in your cabin with you and Ouna. I'll talk to her about it later. I'm hoping that she can think a little this time. What Ytsmon and Lashta had with his deceased female soldier friend, was a little more like what I thought we could have together. The boss says to try it and if it works, it ought to be a lot of fun. You've got his permission to try to uh, ... reminisce a little this afternoon with your daughter if you think you can."

"Wait!" Reed said looking confused. "This Ytsmon, who used to be in here instead of me, he had a female soldier friend and she got him together with, ... "He looked up, "Lashta's mother."

She nodded, "My mother's name was Ramash."

Reed tried it in his mind and came up with a feeling, but little else. "So you were born out of it and then what? He started fucking with you too?"

Lashta shook her head, "No. When I came of age, Mother was crippled and weak from always fighting to keep the others off Masanna and I. I didn't want them and they'd have killed Masanna. When Mother died, I became my father's lover. Your female soldier friend died in the attack along with the rest. I wasn't there. I know that you are human in your mind, but demons do this, many of the kinds. I loved my father, but he is gone. Now, I seek to know you and try to find what pieces of his mind might be left."

Reed had even more to come to grips with. "So what are we then?"

Lashta smiled, "You are a human inside a demon. I am a demon who adored her father and loved his touch. I seek to help you and honor my father's memory. I have heard Pob speak of you not knowing how to be what he was. I will teach you what he taught me. I will make you a soldier demon for when it is needed of you. I know more than enough, so I would fight beside you.

I have learned that one can never know what lies ahead."

She smiled softly then, "So with some luck and understanding, we might be lovers. At least, that is my hope now that I see you."

After a moment, Pob saw Lashta's slightly worried expression as a thought came to her. "Don't worry about it. I can tell you all about everything that Ouna likes, and if she really wants to be an idiot, I've got a few interesting ideas of my own. I'll introduce you to the rest at the evening meal. Well except for the new mechs, since they haven't got to the point where they stop screwing long enough to look around yet."

She turned to look at Sandy who was still smiling, so she hopped up on his back as he turned and they left then.

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Reed turned completely around on the bench where he'd been sitting and looked at Lashta. To him, she'd looked like a slightly younger Ouna at first glance. But it had largely disappeared as he'd listened to her speak, but somehow, ...

There was something about her ...

She was a shade of gray so dark that she looked almost coal black at first glance, but the more that he looked at her, the more that he could see that she wasn't what she looked like in a lot of ways. He didn't know if it was what he now was, or if some of Ytsmon's recollections were flavoring his thoughts. He thought that last week, he'd have been in terror to only see somebody like her. Now, in the short time that he'd been among them, he could see that Lashta was very beautiful among them.

She smiled very shyly at him, having a fairly good idea that he didn't recall much about her directly. But from what she could sense about him, she felt that he didn't dislike her and she took that as a hopeful place to start -- or restart things. She stepped a little closer.

"Do you remember anything about me?" she asked him. "It's sad to me about what happened, but I think that I see something in your face for me. I am sure that if you were completely human, that I'd see nothing like that now."

"I -- I wish that I could tell you that I remember you, but I don't -- until a second later each time that I look," Reed said, "Was I really your father?"

She nodded, "Yes. From the time that I was very small, I felt my father's love for me, and as I grew and came to know the ways of all of the other demons, I saw that I wanted to know all of his love. I had my chance when my mother died. She told me to come to him and be his lover when she could not."

She came even closer and slowly sat on his leg, still looking a little nervous, but he could also see that she felt something for him which was not purely her memories.

"How long?" he asked, "I'm trying to learn the numbers here. How old was your father? I heard that he was young. How old are you?"

He watched her raise her head to look into his eyes, seeing someone new in him, just as she saw some of the one she remembered. "My father was in his fortieth year. He was young for a soldier but he was one of the very best. I would go to watch when they had the time to fight between them in the fighting pit for a little fun. I would look and try to see a good match for him among the others and then I would point."

She chuckled, smiling at the memory, "Most of the others would hate that because I was what would cause their beating at his hands. He always laughed as he did it so that I would laugh," she said softly.

"As I grew older, I would fight with the young of the others in the same way, and when I was old enough and large enough in my fifteenth year, I heard my father call to me to kill the one that I fought. I did it and became another part of his legend.

I became his mate in my mother's place after her passing and that was in my nineteenth year. Ytsmon the fighter who never lost but only once was my father. We were lovers for less than two years.

But that is gone now. When I heard what had happened, I felt as though I had nothing inside me anymore to even move with. I am no one of any importance here. I am only a girl who loved her father."

Her eyes seemed to be looking for something in him for a moment, "But he was not like you are, from what I see here. There are some things which are changed. You are soft in some places behind your eyes where he was hard. And I like the sound when you speak. My father was one who always weighed risks. It was something important that he taught me to do always.

But I see something warm in you, less final, less thinking. More feeling. This pleases me. I see enough for me to begin. I will try to find the way to make things better with Ouna for you."

"Is that the way that it's done here?" Reed asked, "A male keeps a pair of females?"

She shrugged, "We are demons. Not many care. It depends on the ones in it. Many males would want several females, but it is far easier to say than to do. For one male to keep more than one female takes much and most males soon learn that it was a foolish notion. There are more risks in it for the male. I even know some females who were mates to the same male. They killed him together and they loved each other then and were happier without him.

I know that there is another female the same kind as we are in Ouna. I will try to fit in if you wish it. I think that I already want to be here where you are."

She looked up, "Do you think you want that with me, Ree -- uh, Reed?"

He didn't answer right away. Lashta was very close to him by then. They looked at each other a moment longer and their lips seemed to find each other's somehow.

Lashta's world flew around her the next instant as Ouna came in and pulled her off Reed. She hit Lashta in her rage, and then stood in some shock to see that Lashta hadn't toppled over.

In the next two seconds, Lashta hit Ouna three times much harder and the last time was the worst, since she'd swept Ouna's feet out with her leg and then rammed the heel of one hand dead center against Ouna's breastbone just as she was losing her balance.

Ouna was still surprised as she looked at the ceiling outside of the doorway struggling to regain the wind which was knocked out of her.

She slammed her feet against the floor and vaulted upright -- straight into Lashta's open left hand, which closed around her throat.

"Ouna, ... A pleasure to meet you," she sneered with her right fist drawn back.

"I am Lashta. I was sired by that body behind me. I grew up learning to be a fighter like my father. Whether the thought pleases you or not, I will teach Reed how to stay alive. Also, I will teach Reed how to love with a female of our kind so that he will please us both as well as that body can -- for I have felt it with that same body. I offer you joy with him and me.

But if you wish it instead, we can fight here and now, or at any time and place you choose. I offer it because it will be your last fight. I can see in you that you have not ever killed before. You, spawned to be a soldier, and you have killed nothing.

Look at my eyes, Ouna. See how many there are -- and every one the same kind as we are. They died at my hands in the fighting pit, and I used no weapon.

They were same as we are -- the same as you , Ouna. It will not take me long.

Choose. Your death as quickly as I can bring it to you, or you learn to love the best fighter and his daughter. Show me that you have a mind and admit your fault. I know what was done. Show me that you have a heart for him and you can have mine too."

Ouna tried to slowly pull Lashta's fingers from her throat. "Why?"

Lashta smiled, "Because he needs to be protected at first. Because he deserves fine females as we are and we deserve the best male for us. I would share, but you need to learn it."

Her face lost it's fierceness then, "You are a little older than I am and very fine to my eyes. Let us make a family and you will have the fiercest daughter who knows how to love her lovely new mother in the night as well."

Besides the obvious, Lashta was making the large gesture to allow Ouna to be ahead of her in a few things. It was a matter of courtesy and standing, and they both knew that it made things easier and better for them all, since it gave them a starting point between them. It also showed a way to play it between them which offered a little fun. Ouna recognized this and was shocked.

"You offer this?" Ouna asked, "I see that I was being stupid once more and you offer this to me?"

Lashta nodded, beginning to smile, "You are beautiful, and it is the better side of the bargain for us all. I will have him as mine. I offer myself so that you will have him also. We three are all the same kind. We can have young with him. For now, we play the little game which I offer as well.

If what I see is really there in you, we both have my father's body as we teach Reed and you will never have a more loving and dutiful daughter as I can be."

She lowered her fist and released Ouna's throat, standing as they looked at each other. Ouna came to a decision and stepped slowly forward so that they touched at several points. "I never had the want of something like I see in you when I was alone before. Now? I admit that you are very lovely."

Lashta's little smile faded as her eyes narrowed on a detail. "I have cut your lip, though it wasn't meant. I used only my open hands." She moved in a little and tilted her head to make a statement by kissing the blood away very softly.

When she drew back, Ouna was smiling. She reached to hold Lashta around her waist and Lashta carefully slipped her arms in the space between Ona's shoulders and horns, slowly wrapping them around Ouna's neck.

Reed sat in confusion and wonder as he watched them kiss and moan softly.

They drew apart a little later, sharing pleased smiles, each one feeling the others demeanour and knowing that the difficulty was past. Ouna took Lashta's hand and pulled her to the table where Reed sat with his eyes wide.

"If you meant all of that, then sit with me. We all need to talk plainly while I try to get over the thought of having a fine and gorgeous daughter as fast as I can blink."

As they sat down opposite Reed, Ouna carefully leaned against Lashta, who leaned back and they smiled at Reed together, the tension gone between them.

He shook his head in amazement, "I think I'm starting to understand you guys a little bit. I just wish I could get my hands on a video camera while I learn the rest."

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In the corridor on the large craft

"Stop Sandy," Pob said quietly, "stop right here."

Masana and Pob slid down from the hell hound's back. "I've been thinking. I think you ought to go in and tell the T's about everything. I'm taking Masanna to the galley. We need to get to know each other, so I'm gonna make us something hot to drink while we talk. We'll come by later.

Just don't give away everything to the twins. I'm starting to really look forward to this, ok?"

Sandy nodded and walked on.

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South Carolina

They both left a lot of things unsaid as they began something very hopeful between them in the rain that night. Little things went unspoken. Details were left for later.

They just fucked each other in the rain and couldn't believe their good fortune.

She didn't know that his name was Lee as she leaned over the warm hood of the running pickup truck, just enjoying the warmth against her breasts as the downpour continued unabated. She loved to have a prick in her again which was large enough for her. She loved to feel his heavy balls slap against her as the rain ran over them.

She couldn't help her silly grin.

She loved it when he made her come. It had been so long for her. She raised her head and just brayed out in her pleasure.

She almost laughed, but she didn't. She just sighed, loving the way that her calls to him only made him fuck her even harder.

She'd had many males in her time, but other than her old memory of only one, the one who fucked her so well that night was the very finest, enough even to challenge her memory of the other one.

Lee knew neither her name nor her age as they rolled in the bloody mud together. It didn't matter. For once in so long for either of them, they'd found a partner who was beyond willing. They'd found someone to make love with as hard as they wanted to and still have the knowledge that that person would be alive and wanting to go at it again once they were done.

The details came later, after they'd gone inside to wash the mess off in the shower of the farmhouse. That led to over an hour of mutual oral sex between them, and the little things came out after that as he'd produced the siphon from one of his saddlebags and filled his little spare can from the truck enough times to top his tank and once more for a little more range before the next fill up.

She liked his name and she spoke of what was drawing her to a place. He was surprised, because it was the same thing which was drawing him, though for different reasons.

For all that she was, the satyra found herself very pleased to hear that her age didn't bother him at all, and she even liked that he called her Skelly, taking it as an interesting abbreviation. In his turn, he felt something for another in himself and it was good to finally feel something as nice as that. Lee's body fascinated her about as much as her humanlike torso had those amazing legs which she could hide fascinated him, and he thought she was so beautiful.

As yet, neither of them knew if this would end up as anything of a long-time pairing between them. At this point, it really didn't matter anyway. It was more than enough for now and that made it more than enough of a reason to travel on together.

It was still raining hard as they saddled up and rode off. They were over forty miles away when it even began to slow down as the sky lightened. Behind them stood an old house on a hilltop with a very dirty bathtub, a damp bed, an old truck with it's one still-functioning door open, and two partially devoured corpses in the mud.

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In the galley.

"What are the others like?" Masanna asked as they sat together.

Pob smiled, "Well, I think they're really a beautiful pair. They've got fur that looks like sort of a patchwork and they look something like thin wolves. I mean really thin, about as thin as you can get and still not be a stick.

They do have nice shapes to them and they look almost the same. T'maz is a boy, but under the fur on his chest he has boobs, sort of and he likes it when you suck on them a little, but only if he's in the mood. The rest of the time, he's ashamed of them."

"So you and I are the only ones who walk, ... standing up?" Masanna asked.