The Bargain

Charlie knocked on the massive front door, reminding herself that this mansion was no more impressive than the ones she had grown up in on Prime. But after a year of living in dire poverty, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed when the door swung open to reveal a grand arched entryway, illuminated by a chandelier of delicate hover-glows that probably cost more than she could earn in a lifetime as a barmaid at the Triple Sickle.

The man who answered the door wasn’t Lynx, but a servant who bowed deeply as she stepped onto the gleaming hardwood floor.

“I’m here to see Lynx,” Charlie said, hoping her voice didn’t betray her nerves. The servant nodded solemnly.

“Right this way, miss. You are expected.”

It felt strange to be led by a servant through a lavishly decorated home, as if she had stepped back in time and was attending a party at a friend’s house before the ruin. But there was no party, no crowd of welcoming faces waiting for her at the end of this journey, she reminded herself. There was only a man, a Xorn, barely more than a beast, and she was entirely at his mercy.

No. Charlie lifted her chin, scowling to herself. That was not the mindset to have going into this situation. Regardless of her feelings about Lynx or the odd way he made her feel, she refused to succumb to the fear that sat like a lump of ice in her stomach. She had to be strong and not let him see her fear, how much he scared her. And most importantly, she had to hide her emotions because if even half of what she’d heard about the Xorn was true…

“Right in here, miss.” The servant’s soft voice interrupted her thoughts, guiding her into a large room that seemed to be a library, judging by the walls lined with vid-books. At the far end of the room, a traditional fire blazed in a fireplace large enough to roast…well, a human, Charlie thought uncomfortably. In front of the fire were two high-backed chairs and a small table positioned close to the chair on the right. On it was what looked like a late supper—bread, cheese, and some kind of cold sliced meat, along with a selection of fruits native to Old Earth. ~Goddess, are those real strawberries?~ Charlie thought, eyeing the tempting pile of red berries. There was also a steaming mug of what smelled like coffee on the table, with little silver pots of thick cream and real sugar sitting beside it.

It seemed she had interrupted Lynx in the middle of his meal. Charlie hoped that wouldn’t make him even more upset than he likely already was. The sight of real food after months of surviving on nothing but the nutritious, though tasteless, nutria-paste made her stomach growl, but she forced herself to ignore it. She was ready to stand in front of the fire and wait, so she was surprised when the servant gestured to the high-backed chair next to the table.

“Please, have a seat, miss. And help yourself to supper,” the man said.

“Oh, really, I don’t think I should take your master’s chair,” she protested. “And I certainly don’t want to eat his dinner.”

“It’s your chair, if you want it. And your dinner too. Sit down and eat,” commanded a deep, harsh voice that was all too familiar.

Charlie gasped and nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized that the second chair in front of the fire wasn’t empty as she had initially thought when all she could see was the back of it. Reclining against the rich oxblood leather cushions and shrouded in shadows was the familiar, massive form she knew so well from his visits to the Triple Sickle. His features were hidden in a pool of darkness, but the firelight flickered in his strange, alien eyes with their vertical slits, turning the amber of his irises into pure molten gold.

Her heart pounded in her chest and a cold sweat broke out on her skin, but Charlie somehow managed to stand her ground. If she ran now, who would protect her little brother when this brute came to collect the forty thousand credits that Will didn’t have?

“Sit,” he said again.

Slowly, never taking her eyes off him, she lowered herself into the other high-backed chair and crossed her legs tightly under her long skirt. She was cautiously relieved that the strange, hot sensations he seemed to emit weren’t affecting her at the moment, but who knew what he might do to her if he became upset or angry? She tried to hold his gaze for a while, but she found that she couldn’t meet those strange golden eyes without her stomach fluttering uncontrollably, so she gave up and sat, staring down at her clasped hands.

“Why aren’t you eating?” he asked when she was settled.

“I didn’t come here to eat,” Charlie replied, keeping her gaze away from the small table with its tempting spread. “Besides, I’m not hungry.” Her stomach growled loudly as if on cue, and she blushed in embarrassment when Lynx laughed.

“Suit yourself, but at least drink some of the coffee. It’s imported all the way from Old Earth. It’d be a shame to waste it.”

Charlie hadn’t had real coffee in almost a year. The rich aroma of the delicacy from the mother world was almost irresistible, and her mouth began to water. Well, why not? she thought finally. It wouldn’t help her cause to annoy him by refusing everything he offered her. And at least preparing the coffee would give her something to do with her hands while she talked.

“I came here to talk to you about my little brother,” she said, sweetening the hot black coffee with half the sugar and all the cream in the little pots until it turned a pale tan.

“What about him?” Lynx rumbled, watching her closely with those golden eyes.

“You know what about him,” Charlie snapped, taking a sip of the rich, hot coffee. The flavor burst on her tongue, and for a moment she almost forgot to be angry.

“What do I know about him?” Lynx demanded. “Besides the fact that he’s a decent busboy, a terrible card player, and he owes me forty thousand credits?”

Charlie almost choked on her second sip of coffee. “You tricked him,” she blurted out, momentarily forgetting her decision to avoid angering the towering Xorn. “You weaseled your way into that card game and kept upping the ante until he couldn’t pay.”

Lynx just shrugged his broad shoulders, neither admitting nor denying her accusation. He was dressed in dark pants and a shirt made of some luxurious, silky fabric. The collar was unbuttoned, revealing a wide stretch of tanned chest. “He owes me,” he replied calmly. “But that’s between him and me. Why did you come here tonight to tell me something I already know?”

“Quit the act,” Charlie retorted sharply. “We both know why I’m here—I want you to let go of this debt. It’s ridiculous that the stakes were raised so high over a silly game of luck.”

“That game was held at my place among respectable men who knew the loser would cover his bets.” Lynx leaned in. The firelight dancing on his strong features made him look as if his face was chiseled from stone. Only his molten gold eyes seemed alive. “I’m not letting go of the debt,” he stated clearly. “But I might consider some sort of payment plan.”

Charlie bit her lip and held the mug tightly, feeling the heat from the coffee seep into her palm. “We don’t have much,” she started. “But maybe if you promoted Will to waiter at Carnivore and he made more in tips—”

“It would still take him years to pay back even half of what he owes me,” Lynx cut her off. “Of course, he could always work in the mines. It’s dangerous, but it pays well.”

“No!” Charlie slammed the mug on the table so fast that hot coffee splashed onto her hand, scalding her. Lynx was out of his chair in an instant, reaching for her as if to check her burned hand. Charlie recoiled instinctively, like a child pulling away from a wild beast. He frowned and sat back down.

“There’s a napkin on the tray and a glass of ice water. Do you want me to get you some burn gel?” he asked, his deep voice gruff.

“No,” Charlie forced herself to sit up straight in her chair and used the napkin to dab at her scalded hand. She cleared her throat and tried to steer the conversation back on track. “I don’t want Will working in the mines,” she said, shaking her head firmly. “He’s too young. It’s too dangerous.”

“If he’s old enough to rack up a man’s debt, he should be old enough to pay it like a man,” Lynx grumbled, frowning.

“Well, he’s not, and he can’t,” Charlie retorted. “That’s why I’m here.”

He gave her an inscrutable look. “So you’re here to pay for him?”

Suddenly, a lump formed in Charlie’s throat that she couldn’t swallow. But that was why she was here, wasn’t it? She nodded slowly, unable to trust her voice.

“I see.” He nodded. “I mentioned a payment plan and I meant it. But what I want might seem…odd to you.”

“I’m not a prostitute,” Charlie blurted out. “I mean, I’ve never…I don’t…”

He sighed. “I know that. It would be a lot simpler if you were.”

“I see.” Charlie felt her face flush and she looked down at her injured hand. So that was what he wanted. She should have known. All those times he’d come into the Triple Sickle and sat at her table, insisting that only she serve him, he’d been biding his time, waiting to take what he wanted from her.

“You don’t see anything,” he said roughly. She looked up to see him running a large hand through his thick, dark hair. It was a very human gesture. If it weren’t for his massive size and his amber eyes with their peculiar vertical pupils, she could have almost forgotten he was Xorn at that moment. Charlie steeled herself against the thought. He was propositioning her—he had her cornered and he was using it to make her give him what she had only given to Roger. He was turning her into what she had fought against becoming ever since she’d arrived on this rock—a prostitute.

“What is there to see?” she asked coldly. “I know what you’re going to ask me. I know what you want. It’s what your kind always want.”

“My kind?” He frowned and looked at her, his eyes flashing a reddish-gold in the firelight. “Tell me, what do you know about ‘my kind’?”

“I-I…” Charlie shook her head, instinctively knowing she’d crossed a line. The hostility between humans and Xorn was well-known, even in a fringe colony like Hole. No doubt Lynx was sensitive to it, though the muttered curses and angry glances he received when he came into the Triple Sickle for a drink never seemed to bother him.

“No, tell me.” His deep voice softened a bit and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I really want to know what you think you know about me—about my people. What have you heard? What are you afraid of?”

“I’ve heard…” Charlie swallowed hard. “People, human people, say you’re animals. That you fight each other to the death over your women. That you mutilate your mates. That your…your sexual habits are…are…” She shook her head.

“Savage? Brutal? Sick?” Lynx raised one dark, arched eyebrow at her, and she nodded slowly, expecting him to explode in anger. Instead, he just looked weary. “What else?” he asked softly, still leaning forward. “I can tell there’s something else that’s bothering you.”

Charlie swallowed hard, her throat clicking dryly. “I’ve heard rumors about the Xorn. They say you’re emotional vampires, draining your victims until they’re nothing more than a husk.”

Lynx nodded. “We call it The Thirst, or The Needing.”

Charlie’s heart pounded in her chest. “So it’s true?” She wondered if she’d pushed him too far, if he’d decide to drain her right then and there.

Lynx sighed, leaning back. “There’s some truth to it. But as usual, humans have taken a few facts and twisted them into something unrecognizable.”

Charlie started to speak, but Lynx held up a hand to stop her.

“Out of every hundred Xorn males, there’s only one female,” he explained, his gaze fixed on the fire. “We’ve adapted, evolved. Our DNA mutates so we can breed with other species. But we only breed when we find…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “What you need to know is that a male Xorn goes through a six-week period called The Thirst or The Needing several times in his life. During that time, we must drink. Your scent tells me I could drink from you, that you could quench my thirst. That’s what I meant by a payment plan.”

Charlie recoiled. The rumors were true! The Xorn were some kind of twisted vampires. “So you want to suck my blood?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“Not your blood,” Lynx said, shaking his head solemnly.

“My emotions then? You want to drain my feelings until I’m—”

“No,” he interrupted sharply, causing her to flinch. “I’m sorry.” He ran his hands through his hair. “It’s not like that. The sharing of feelings is sacred. No one is drained to death during the exchange. But it’s not your emotions I want either. Not to quench The Thirst.”

Charlie frowned, confused. “If it’s not my blood or my feelings, then what?”

“Your nectar,” he said bluntly, nodding towards her legs, crossed tightly beneath her long synthi-wool skirt. “The honey that flows from between your thighs.”

Charlie blushed, feeling the heat creep up her neck. “I-I don’t think I understand,” she stammered.

“I need to drink from you,” Lynx said harshly. “I need to part your thighs and spread your pussy lips so I can drink the honey directly from your cunt. Only then will The Thirst be quenched. Is that clear enough?”

Charlie shook her head. She should be outraged, but instead, she found herself thinking of practical reasons why it wouldn’t work. “I don’t think I…produce enough, uh, honey for you to… I mean, I…” She trailed off, her cheeks burning.

“That won’t be a problem,” Lynx said, leaning towards her. His eyes glowed red-gold in the firelight. “There will be more than enough. I can make you flow,” he murmured, his voice so deep she felt it in her bones. Suddenly, the sensation she’d felt when he’d looked at her in the bar returned, stronger than ever.

Charlie bit her lip to stifle a moan as her pussy became slick and swollen, her clit throbbing. Heat pooled between her thighs, making her feel molten. She could feel her nectar, her honey, welling up, threatening to soak her thin panties. Goddess, what was he doing to her?

“What…how…?” she stammered, looking at him in disbelief. He gave her a slow, lazy smile.

“You’ll flow like a river,” he murmured, not touching her. “When I suck your clit into my mouth and put my tongue deep inside you, you’ll gush. And you’ll come for me, Charlie. Over and over. You’ll come on my tongue while I drink your sweet juices. You’ll give me everything I need.”

“I don’t…I can’t…” Charlie shook her head, pressing her thighs together. She could feel her nectar running down her inner thighs, her sex liquid with desire. Goddess, how could he do this to her just by looking at her? What would he do to her if she gave in to the heat coursing through her veins?

“You don’t have to worry about it going any further,” Lynx said, as if reading her thoughts. “I won’t fuck you. This isn’t about that. And I will never hurt you. All I want—all I ~need~—is to drink.”

“I-I…” Charlie finally found her voice. “This is your idea of a payment plan?”

“It is,” Lynx said calmly. “You’ll come to me three nights a week for the next six weeks. You’ll open your cunt for me and let me taste your nectar until I’m satisfied. And at the end of that time, not only will I forgive your forty thousand credit debt—I’ll give you forty thousand to do with as you please. Do you understand?”

“I’m sorry.” Charlie pushed herself up, her legs shaking beneath her. “I’m sorry, but I can’t,” she stammered, feeling the wetness trickling down her thighs as she backed away from him. “That’s not…not okay,” she managed to say, her lips numb. “I can’t… I can’t let you touch me like that.”

Lynx’s expression hardened. “Because I’m Xorn and you’re human, right?” He stood, his frown deepening, towering over her. Suddenly, the warmth that had sparked in Charlie’s belly turned into a chilling fear. “Well, let me remind you of something, human, in this town, it’s not safe to owe me money, especially not such a large sum. I’ll give you until tomorrow night to think about it. I’ll be at my usual spot at the Triple Sickle to hear your decision. Either let your little brother work in the mines, or let me have you. The choice is yours. Now leave.”

Something inside Charlie shattered. She ran, propelled by his words, tripping over the plush carpet, her breath ragged in her throat. Fear coursed through her veins, replacing her blood. She couldn’t believe what he wanted from her, and she couldn’t believe that was all he wanted. If she gave in, there would be no stopping it—if she even survived it. The thought of his large hands on her body, of his mouth between her thighs, sucking and licking, sent shivers down her spine. It terrified her. She couldn’t, she just ~couldn’t~ let him do that!

But as she fled from the house, past the surprised servant who was too late to open the door, Charlie couldn’t help but wonder what her other options were. How was she going to come up with forty thousand credits by tomorrow night? And what would Lynx do to her if she didn’t?

* * * * *

Lynx ran a hand through his dark hair and cursed. He had messed up, playing on her worst fears and then threatening her little brother if she didn’t give in to his demands. Damn! How could he have been so foolish?

His desire for her, The Thirst, clouded his judgment and made it hard to think. Just sitting across from her, inhaling her sweet scent and looking into her big brown eyes had tested his self-control. And once he’d made her wet and could sense her arousal, it was all he could do not to push her back in the chair, spread her legs, and taste her.

But it wasn’t just her scent that drove him wild or the fact that he was deep in Need and ridden by The Thirst that made him want her. No, Lynx admitted to himself, he wanted the little human for more than just his body’s demands. For months he’d been observing her and learning about her past. He knew about her fall from grace, about how she’d gone from wealth to poverty. Their situations were eerily similar.

Most people, human or Xorn, would have crumbled under such circumstances. But Charlotte Elizabeth Owens–Stratton had managed to get herself and her younger brother to safety, hiding them on Hole, the last place their creditors would think to look. Then she had found work as a barmaid, despite never having worked a day in her life. Her resilience and bravery were commendable, and Lynx sometimes wondered what she would think if she knew how similar their situations were.

Lynx had watched her carry herself with dignity, ignoring the crude comments of the miners she served and keeping her head high no matter how vulgar they became. He knew about the sacrifices she made to keep her brother safe, how she went without food and warmth and never complained. He had followed her home many nights after a late shift at the Triple Sickle, telling himself he was protecting her when in reality he just wanted to spend more time with her. He’d been acting like a smitten fool, Lynx admitted to himself. But it was a good thing, or she might have been killed the night Bent-head attacked her.

He growled at the memory. Lynx had been a block away when the man had jumped her, and it had taken him a moment to reach her. He had pulled the man off her and dragged him into the darkness of the alley to deal with him.

He’d wanted to make sure Charlie was okay afterward, but he didn’t dare—by that time he was covered in blood and he knew that he’d probably scare her if he appeared out of the darkness. To her frightened eyes, he would have looked more like a monster than a savior, so he had simply watched her pick herself up and stumble home in the darkness, crying softly as she went. He had wanted to hold her, to comfort her, to tell her how much he admired her courage, how much he needed her, but he hadn’t dared.

Thinking of the attack, he realized that he’d sent her back out into the night with nothing but a can of freeze spray to protect her. She was still cold and still hungry—he hadn’t done anything for her but scare her so badly she’d probably never want to see him again.

“Din!” he bellowed, and his servant appeared immediately, his hands nervously clasped in front of him.

“Master Lynx,” he murmured. “The young lady ran out the door before I could stop her. I’m afraid she’s gone.”

“I’m aware she’s left,” Lynx grumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “But I can’t bear the thought of her out there alone—it’s not safe. If I chase after her, she’ll get the wrong idea…so I can’t. I need you to pack up that food and follow her in the hover coach. Offer her a lift and the food. If she refuses both, make sure she gets home safe and leave the food at her doorstep. Got it?”

“Right away, Master Lynx.” Din, his hair graying with age, nodded and began to clean the small table with swift precision. He had been with Lynx for years and was completely reliable. In moments like these, Lynx was particularly thankful for his presence.

Once Din left the room, Lynx slumped back into his chair, letting out a sigh. That was it—he’d scared her away for good. There was no chance she would come to him now. He was left with no other option but to take her by force, to abduct her and strap her to the drinking platform he had brought all the way from his home planet, hoping he’d never have to use it. The thought of it stirred a mix of desire and guilt within him.

When The Thirst was intense and a non-Xorn woman was used to quench it, she was often too terrified to stay still. The issue was that any resistance excited a male Xorn beyond control when he was in deep Need, just like Lynx was now. The drinking platform had iron shackles for both wrists and ankles, along with a plasti-steel belt to keep the woman completely immobile while her nectar was collected. This way, he could safely drink from her without being aroused into having sex with her due to her struggles. Thus, The Thirst could be satisfied without forming a life-bond.

Lynx knew it was a terrifying contraption and he didn’t want to use it on Charlie. But if she didn’t come to him soon, he would be left with no other choice. The Thirst was simply too overpowering. He could still sense her sweet aroma in the room, taunting him, tormenting him to the brink of sanity. Yet, he didn’t want to force her. He didn’t want to frighten her.

Maybe it would be better to let The Thirst rage and try to forget about her, Lynx pondered, fully aware that it was impossible. Maybe it would have been better if he had never laid eyes on her. Because as upset as she had been over the idea of letting him drink from her, who knew how she would react if she had even the slightest hint that he wanted to bind her to him for life—that he wanted her as his mate?

Well, one way or another, she was going to find out. Because by the time he went to the Triple Sickle tomorrow night, his Need would be too intense to do anything but take her.