Hidden Talent: StarLords, Book 1 Read online

  The woman was voluptuous with big breasts, a tiny waist and rounded hips. The skirt she wore was nearly transparent and short enough to perhaps qualify as a wide belt. It barely covered the important parts and the top of the outfit didn’t even do that. Her breasts were bare, supported by the top in a way that lifted and showcased her pierced nipples.

  She didn’t have a chain like the one Micah had given Jeri, but she did wear two jeweled dangles from the piercings in her nipples that swung and swayed as she moved.

  “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, milady.”

  Her voice was a seductive purr that made Jeri blink. This woman practically oozed sex appeal in a way Jeri had never before encountered.

  “Seta is from Virula, a planet known for pleasures of all kinds.” Micah smiled a little too warmly at the beautiful navigator for Jeri’s comfort, but his hand stroked the small of her back, as if in silent reassurance.

  “I’ve never heard of your world, but then, I have little knowledge of worlds other than those to which our herds were sold when I was a child.” Great, she thought, the country bumpkin rides again.

  But Seta’s smile was friendly and just the slightest bit lascivious in a way Jeri was coming to realize was part of her nature, and she was not at all condescending. Jeri returned the woman’s smile after subduing her urge to run and hide from the changes swamping her.

  “I remember when I first left my homeworld,” Seta said kindly. “I knew nothing of other planets, trusting to the man who bought me as a sex slave to see to my safety. I was marooned on one of Othar’s moons when the fool crashed his ship. He died in the wreck and I managed to learn cartography and navigation from the one functioning comp left on the ship. I made sure that the next time a freighter came through I could flag them down and hire out as something other than a whore.”

  Her story scandalized Jeri, but she did her best to just nod and try not to let her shock show too much.

  “I was a stowaway,” Jeri offered. “I hid among the herd to get off Mithrak, then trekked to the Hills when we landed on Pantur to hide.”

  “I should like to hear this tale,” Seta said with a warm grin. “Perhaps you will join me in the lounge after third shift meal sometime, and we can swap stories.”

  “Perhaps,” Jeri answered noncommittally, not sure what Micah would prefer her to do, but willing to answer the overture of friendship from this strange woman.

  “Maybe in a few days I will be willing to let her out of my cabin,” Micah said, sliding his hand around her waist and dragging her close. “Don’t expect to see her idling in the lounge any time soon.” His smacking kiss hit her heat-flooded cheek as she rolled her eyes. She was becoming a little more used to his openly suggestive ways, but to have him come out and say something like that made her flush.

  Seta laughed and winked at the captain. “Lucky girl.” She reached forward and kissed Jeri again, as Micah pressed his growing arousal into the softness of her backside. “I’m glad to see our captain so happy for a change,” Seta said as she moved back to her nav board. “He’s been moping around here for ages, interfering with our pleasures and finding none for himself. Maybe now that you’re here to pleasure him, we can have some fun for a change.” Seta winked at Jeri this time, smiling and nodding as she bent back to her board.

  Micah laughed as he moved Jeri forward, keeping her in front of him as they reached a small area where two young men waited patiently, at semi attention. They didn’t look as if they had posts here on the bridge, but perhaps they’d come and positioned themselves in the null space by the viewport to be out of the way and still be on hand to meet her.

  Micah stopped in front of them. “And these two rascals…” he said with a grin and an indulgent tone in his deep voice, “…are our Yeomen for this run. My nephew Kirt, and our cousin Welan. They work mostly for Trini and manage the hold, the crew areas and the rest of the ship. And they man the top and bottom guns in battle.”

  “Guns?” Jeri turned her head to look up at Micah as the rest of the crew watched in some concern. “I thought this was a freighter, not a warship.”

  Micah looked around at his crew, silencing their questions with a sigh and a resigned look. “This is a freighter, but with a dual nature. Each and every one of my crew has some Talent, and a few are very high ranking. I’m a StarLord, Jeri, and I sit on the Mage Council. I use the Circe to accomplish certain missions on their behalf.”

  “Cousin,” Darak broke in. “I think you go too far.”

  Micah turned on him. “She will know this anyway, Dar. You saw her readings. There is little we can hide from her once she is trained. I would prefer to have as much honesty as possible from the beginning.”

  Darak backed off, but his face was dark. Clearly he didn’t agree, but would hold his own counsel for now.

  “I want you to know that you are safe on the Circe,” he said, taking both of her shoulders in his hands. “We can more than defend ourselves if it comes to open fighting, as we have in the past. I will never let anyone like your Wizards take you from me. Not without a fight. And I will fight to my death to protect you.” He stroked her cheek with one long finger. “Do you believe me?”

  Jeri could hardly catch her breath. His gaze was so serious and his energies so focused on her, it was hard to doubt him. She looked deep into his eyes and nodded.

  “I believe you, Micah.”

  He smiled as if she had given him a great gift. “Good. Then we will set up a schedule for your training to begin.”

  He dismissed the Yeomen after they had each given her the ritual greeting kiss, Kirt lingering just a bit longer than anyone else had, which made her wonder. But they left to go to their regular stations and Jeri was led over to the Captain’s command station where Micah seated her on his knee while he worked out a very rough schedule of times she could meet with Agnor and Darak.

  She felt a little more than conspicuous, sitting on his knee while he massaged her waist and backside with his free hand, but the rest of the crew seemed to think nothing of it, so after a while, she relaxed. She asked him a few questions to which he replied in low murmurs, showing her how to access the comp and giving her access to the one in their cabin by entering the commands into his station.

  She felt him hardening against her thigh and didn’t object when he finished abruptly and swept her from the bridge. That bed in his cabin needed another session to make certain it was absolutely the most comfortable bed she had ever been in. Maybe more than one, she thought with a devilish grin.

  Chapter Five

  Darak checked in once in a while over the shipcomm to give status updates, but he had a knack for interrupting at crucial moments that invariably made Micah groan. Jeri laughed the first few times it happened, but she began to wonder how Darak could possibly know what they were doing to time his calls so perfectly.

  Micah had just signed off with his XO and taken up where he’d never quite left off thrusting behind her as she kneeled on the kingly bed. The covers were in a shambles, and Micah and Jeri weren’t in much better shape themselves. They’d barely taken a few minutes out over the past two days to use the reclamation chamber and eat a few morsels. But oh, how much pleasure there’d been.

  And how much more pleasure Micah had in reserve for her, she thought with relish as he increased his pace. She came with a gentle explosion unlike the heated urgency of their first joinings, but every bit as satisfying. Micah came with her, jetting deep inside her.

  Sometime later, he withdrew and set her down easily, spooning her close as he settled on the bed beside her. From his breathing she could tell he wasn’t quite asleep yet.

  “How does he know?” she asked, curious and a little afraid of the answer. “How does your cousin Darak know when to call?”

  Micah sighed and stroked her arm. “It’s not anything you’re thinking, sweet. There’s no surveillance in my quarters. I’m too powerful a Talent not to know. It’s just…” He hesitated, and she turned in his arms
to look at him.

  “What?”

  “I think he’s picking up on you, Jeri. Your Talent is strong and unpredictable. I can’t always contain it. I think it leaks out around your shielding at certain moments.” His devilish smile left no question as to what kinds of moments he meant.

  “Oh no!” Her face flamed with embarrassment.

  “Oh, yes,” he grinned. “Darak is a tease. He just likes to poke fun at me by calling when we’re in the middle of things, and he senses when your shielding fails a little bit. I admit I’ve been somewhat lax about shoring up your shields at the critical moments too. You overwhelm me.”

  She kissed him gently for the tender words, but she was totally embarrassed. “What can I do?”

  He tucked her under his chin, holding her. “It’s mostly my fault. I haven’t wanted to let you go, even to begin your training.” He kissed the crown of her head. “Let’s get a little sleep, then we’ll see when Agnor can test you. I’d like you to start with him to get a base level before we show you anything major.”

  “You’ll teach me?” her voice was small and sleepy against his chest.

  He smiled. “Yes, I will. As will Agnor and that bastard Darak.” The rude name was spoken with humor and affection. “We are all qualified to take on students, and we’ll help you.”

  “I don’t think I can face Darak.” She cringed inwardly at the thought of how the other man knew each time they’d made love. And they’d made love a lot over the past two days.

  Micah chuckled. “The act of love is not something we hide, Jeri. In our culture, sex is out in the open. We could have sex in the companionway and no one would raise an eyebrow, though a few of my crew would stop to watch or even ask to join in.” Jeri was scandalized by the very thought, though it did inexplicably make her squirm closer to his warmth. “I think Darak has been enjoying poking some fun at me, but I don’t think he meant to embarrass you. He doesn’t realize how reticent your home culture was.”

  “I’ll try to get used to your ways, but bear with me, Micah. I’m not ready to do that in public yet, and I don’t think I will be anytime soon.”

  He snuggled her closer. “I would never ask anything of you that you would not give freely, sweetheart. Rest assured. But I do think you’ll learn our ways better once you live with us for a while. I’ve been selfish keeping you all to myself these past days. It’ll be First Shift in two hours. Let’s sleep a bit, then we can clean up and get you started on your testing, okay?”

  Agnor Dallesander was just coming off shift when the captain and his companion made their way to the bridge. The shifts were loosely designed to allow crew members to sleep in turns so that the ship was never totally unmanned at any particular moment.

  Agnor was tall—taller even than his captain and the other members of his extended family that crewed the Circe. He bowed his head to Jeri as she stopped before him, the captain standing just behind her. Micah’s broad hands were on her shoulders in a show of ownership that was not entirely unconscious, Agnor realized as the captain’s hard gaze met his.

  Agnor nodded to the man he respected and considered a friend. He had few. The way of the Specitar was often lonely, but Micah was a special man and made allowances for Agnor’s sometime odd behavior, as did his cousin Darak. Both men were friends and long-time companions since they had come up through the ranks fairly close together. Agnor understood now that Micah was claiming this little backworlder, though she probably didn’t realize it, not being familiar enough with their ways yet.

  “My friend…” Micah said with warmth that indicated the truth of the appellation, “…we need your assistance. I would like you to work with Jeri a bit and give us a base level for her Talent from which we can work. Do you have the time now?”

  Agnor smiled slightly and bowed his head. “It would be my honor. Will you shield and observe?”

  “I’ll shield, but I’d like you to run the test alone. I don’t want to influence the result in any way. I think we all may be surprised by your findings if I’m not mistaken.”

  Agnor acknowledged the eager grin with a light smile and nod of his head. “As you wish.” He refocused his gaze on the petite woman in front of him. “Dama, will you come with me and submit to the test?”

  He could see her swallow her fear and it predisposed him to like the feisty woman who had brought a sparkle back to his friend’s eyes. She nodded and stepped forward, away from the lingering touch of Micah’s hands on her shoulders. He let her go with little fuss, though she did not see the look of longing, pride and something more in Micah’s eyes as he gazed after her.

  Agnor led her off the bridge and into the crew deck companionway. They walked past the captain’s quarters to a door two hatches down. It was his quarters and he pressed his hand against the door to open it. He motioned her to precede him and was pleased by her little gasp of pleasure when she saw his domain for the first time. He didn’t let many people into this place, lest they leave behind disturbing vibrations, but he sensed he would not regret admitting her to his special place.

  “You don’t sleep here, do you?” she asked quietly, almost reverently as she took in the bare space that contained few furnishings but many tools of his trade.

  Agnor chuckled, allowing the door to shut them inside. He undampened the chimes to allow them to ring softly as he passed them.

  “No. This is my meditation chamber. As a Specitar, I have somewhat different needs than most other Talents. Our captain has been kind enough to set aside this space so that I may see to them in private and comfort. Most other starship captains would not be so understanding.”

  She turned to face him, questions in her wide eyes, and he had to catch his breath. This creature was indeed beautiful, but he had to remind himself sadly she was not for him. She belonged to one of his best friends and with Micah she would remain, probably forever, if Agnor was right about the depth of their feelings. Micah had the look of a man in love—a look he’d never seen in him before. Agnor believed it was a good thing. It made Micah happy for the first time in a very long time, and anything that made his friend that happy was something Agnor would endorse.

  “What is a Specitar? I’m sorry I don’t know the way your rankings work.” She seemed truly embarrassed, so Agnor smiled to put her at ease. He also took a seat on the softly padded floor in the center of the room, facing the large viewport. He had a spectacular window on the stars. Trying to put her at ease, he reclined against a long bolster, hoping his casual body language would comfort her. He motioned her to sit opposite him and waited until she was comfortable before beginning his instruction.

  “Do not worry over your lack of knowledge. We understand that our culture and traditions are new to you. There’s no shame in asking questions when you do not understand.” He leaned back and folded his hands, a position he used when in thought that helped him clear his mind of everything except the subject at hand.

  “We rank our Talents based on strength and achievement for the most part. There are specific requirements for each level. The lowest level is that of the Novitar. They can either be newly discovered Talent that is working its way up in skill or a low-level Talent that will remain at that level their whole lives. Not all people start at Novitar, but it is usual for youngsters to pass through several levels until their Talent fully matures.” He looked up at her to see if she was following and was glad to see the light of interest in her eyes. “After Novitar there are the intermediate rankings of Apprentar, Acoltar, and Authoritar. After that, the lowest of the advanced rankings is Dominar. Darak is at Dominar strength now, but I believe he is not far from the next level, that of Mage. If and when he reaches Mage level, he will be given a seat on the Council. Mages are very powerful indeed, and there are only several hundred in any given generation. Our captain reached Mage level as a young man and only recently made the unexpected jump to Mage Master. I think he was as surprised as the rest of us when he passed those tests, achieving a Talent level found in perhaps less
than fifty people in each generation among our worlds.”

  “Wow,” she breathed. “How did it happen?”

  Agnor leaned forward, meeting her curious gaze. “It is a long story and it is not mine to tell. You must ask the captain and he will tell you of it if he so chooses. Suffice to say, he did not intend to kick his power to the next level in quite that way. Rather, it was forced upon him, and it wasn’t an entirely pleasant experience.” He leaned back, relaxing—or giving the appearance of relaxing at least. “With great strength comes great responsibility, and we do not always find our strength unless and until it is needed. Micah needed great strength, and he found it within himself, pushing the limits of his Talent and elevating himself to a higher level. More than that, I will not say.” He nodded once and resumed his teaching pose. “After Mage and Mage Master, there are the highest rankings of Vizier and Sha. Viziers are few and far between. Perhaps there are a handful in each generation and right now there is only one Sha, and she is very old.”

  “But what about your title? Where do you fit?”

  He smiled at her. “Caught that, did you? Well, I said almost all our rankings are based on strength, but there is one ranking based solely on skill. Specitars such as myself usually fit somewhere between Mages and Mage Masters in overall strength, but we excel in specialized areas. For example, my specialty is telepathy. I can reach farther with my mind than most anyone except perhaps the Sha and most of the Viziers. But my other skills are not that strong, except cognition. I have developed my mental processes—influenced by the telepathy, I believe—so that I can solve scientific problems faster than most computers, using human intuition that comps just don’t have.”

  She looked duly impressed so he sat back waiting for questions. They were not long coming.

  “So you and Micah are the strongest Talents on board? Do Specitars have seats on the Council too? Do you use your telepathic skill when running comm? And where do the rest of the crew fall in your list?”