strongholdrising by Lisanne Norman Page A

longer a captive hit him. He was free, free to do what he chose.

Reaching out, he picked up a lock of her blonde hair, rubbing it gently between his fingers. It was as soft as he remembered. Letting it fall back to the pillow, hesitantly he touched her face, running a gentle fingertip across her cheek. Her skin felt like one of the fruits from her world, soft, and covered with a very faint down. He could smell her scent now, and it brought back memories, painful ones, of pairings the like of which they'd never share again.

He slipped his hand round the back of her neck, tears momentarily blurring his sight. As he blinked them away, her eyes flicked open— Sholan eyes, the pupils narrowing to vertical slits as the light from the lamp fell on them. Suddenly, he wanted her very badly.

Closing the gap that separated them, he leaned across her, lowering his face to hers, catching hold of her bottom lip with his teeth. He looped his free hand under her back, pressing her close against his belly and groin as he began to nip at her face.

Her hands pushed against his chest, trying to ease him away. He ignored her, clenching his hand in her hair, pulling her head back to arch her throat toward him. His breathing was uneven now as the muscles in his lower belly and groin began to contract. With a grunt of discomfort, he loosened his hold on her body, moving back slightly to allow his genitals room to descend. Releasing her mouth, he began to nip and lick his way down her arched throat.

"Kusac!"

In the unaccustomed heady rush of sexual arousal and freedom, he barely heard her. It had been so long since they'd paired! When he'd first woken to J'koshuk and the world of the Kz'adul, he'd been sure that they'd all die. Then the priest had dragged him to the stasis area, shown him her and Kaid pairing. He'd known then that somehow they'd become Leskas and she no longer needed him to survive. But he needed her so badly.

His mouth touched the neckline of her uniform. It was a barrier, preventing him from going further. As he stopped, reaching for the fastening, her hands batted against his chest.

"Kusac! You're hurting me!"

Again he ignored her, his need to have her outweighing any other consideration. The seal parted instantly, exposing her naked flesh and surrounding him with her warm scent. His purr of pleasure was nearer a growl.

She twisted away from him, and surprised, he used his body weight to pin her down. He lapped at her skin, tasting her before closing his teeth on the nearest breast.

A sharp tug on his left ear made him flick it in irritation, but it wasn't till her hand closed, far too tightly, on a sensitive part of his anatomy, that she got his undivided attention.

With a yelp of pain, his hand covered hers, trying to ease her fingers apart. "Not so tight!" His voice was strained, tears springing to his eyes as he tried to roll clumsily off her.

"You're hurting me," she repeated. "What's wrong with you, Kusac? You were never this rough before."

"Let me go," he said, his claws extending just enough to prick her fingers warningly. "There's no need for you to grab me like this."

"Take your claws out of me first. You were ignoring me, it was the only way I could get your attention."

With a rumble of annoyance, he retracted his claws and she released him. "You were never so reluctant before," he muttered, clutching his abused anatomy.

"I'm not reluctant, Kusac," she said. "You were too rough. You know how much stronger than me you are."

He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, the mood utterly gone. "I wasn't being rough, I just got carried away, that's all. It's been so long...I thought you'd be as willing...Forget it." He felt her hand touch his chest but ignored it. How could they continue in any kind of relationship when she squealed the first time he laid hands on her? He'd been no more rough than usual. She'd never complained before.

But before, they'd had their Link. He'd known from moment to