Christmas in Zonei Pt. 10

A few minutes later they stepped from the elevators into a yet another endless hallway. This one was of standard size, with doors spaced evenly on either side that presumably led to apartment units. Kim let out a mental sigh. He was so ready to be somewhere where he could sit down and relax.

Raeden had started off down the hall, leading Kim by the hand, and now he paused and looked back at him. We don't have much further to go, but you can jump on my back for a ride if you want. Kim noticed that Raeden's scale patterns had returned.

Kim was about to say no, when he heard the sound of feet running up behind him. Heart rate skyrocketing, he whirled around, taking a step backwards. Coming down the hallway toward them at a fast pace was a giant man. Kim gasped involuntarily. The man was almost as big as Raeden.

Raeden's big hands wrapped around him, pulling him back against his warm frame. It's okay, Little One. These are my friends Derek and Jeni.

At that moment Kim noticed a tiny woman riding on the large man's back, her long blonde hair flying out behind her. They were moving fast and were upon them in no time, skidding to a halt.

"Raeden!" the man exclaimed, looking him up and down. Shock emanated from both of them.

The big man was wearing gym shorts and a tank top that showed off an impressive array of muscles and smooth bronzed skin with a faint scale pattern. His brown hair was damp and the chest and underarm areas of his tank were dark with sweat. The girl on his back was similarly attired, with a white sweatband holding her hair back from her delicately featured face. Her pale skin looked flushed and Kim detected faint tracings of scales on her bare arms and legs as well. Her huge blue eyes widened as she took Kim in, her gaze fastening on the possessive arm that Raeden had around his chest.

"I never thought we'd see you again, Rae," Derek said. "I mean ... it's been since March..." He trailed off, the implications of his words clear.

Once again Kim felt the sharp agony of the gaping wound that had been torn through Raeden's heart. But when he spoke, his voice was steady, sounding almost lighthearted, "You mean, why am I still alive?"

"Uh ... I didn't mean it exactly like that ... and I don't even want to ask how you are. I can't imagine—"

Raeden cut him off. There was an edge to his voice that Kim was pretty sure he didn't intend. "I'm doing much better, thank you. And I did almost die. Kim here rescued me, took me into his home, and cared for me. I've rebonded."

"Kim?" the big man said, seeming to notice Kim for the first time. His jaw dropped slightly as he looked at him. "Rebonded? With a man?" He sounded horrified and Kim winced internally.

A tinkling laugh broke out from the small woman on his back. Derek does it really matter whether man or woman? You should be happy for Raeden.

But a man? I can't imagine being with a man.

"But he's a beautiful man, isn't he?" Jeni said aloud.

Kim realized with a mild shock that he was hearing them converse with each other through their bond. It felt wrong to listen in to such an intimate conversation, but he didn't know how to keep from hearing it. To him it was as if they were speaking aloud.

Besides, you can't even imagine being with another woman either, can you? Jeni asked.

Well ... no ... but...

Whatever else Derek was going to say was lost to introductions. In spite of Derek's initial reaction, Kim did not sense any animosity from him, only surprise and a bit of discomfort. He thought maybe the discomfort was just from being aware of the huge loss Raeden had suffered and not wanting to think about it.

"We just got done working out at the gym," Jeni said, her words tumbling out quickly and her voice full of exuberance. "We were running home to shower and change. Tanya and Eddie are having a party tonight. You should come, Raeden, and introduce your new bondmate to everyone."

"Thanks. I'd like to see everyone again, but we are just now getting home after being ... uh ... detained for three days at CorpSec headquarters. We need to clean up, eat, and rest. We haven't even seen our new home yet."

"Oh?" Jeni eyed Raeden curiously and Kim felt that she had lots of questions. "Which unit are you in?"

"Fifty-six fifteen."

"Ooh! That's a nice one. Corner unit. How did you rate that?"

Even though Raeden was still behind him, Kim felt him smirk through their mindlink. "We haven't even signed a contract yet, but Dr. Granger pulled out all the stops—trying to make up for cutting me adrift to my own devices, I guess."

"I had no idea rebonding was even possible," Derek murmured, his mind obviously still wrestling with the concept.

"Nobody thought it was possible. It surprised the heck out of me too when I started having partial morfs."

"Wow! I can't wait to hear your story," Jeni jumped in. "But we're running late. Can we call you in a day or two? Maybe we can get together for a meal and catch up."

"I'd like that," Raeden said.

Kim smiled at them, but was afraid that it didn't look sincere. He wasn't comfortable around strangers and the warrior pair was definitely intimidating. Kim wondered if they were going to start comparing him with Lyzel and he really didn't want to overhear any of those comments.

Jeni caught his eye and the smile she gave him was warm. "I'm so glad you rescued Raeden, Kim. I'm looking forward to getting to know you."

Kim felt his smile slide into a real one. "You too," he managed to say, and then they were off, running ahead of them down the hall.

Do we still have time for shower sex before the party? Kim heard Derek ask over their mindlink.

We can be a little late, Jeni replied, reaching around to tweak one of Derek's nipples.

Kim's face flushed. Some things were best not overheard.

"It's strange being back. It will be odd seeing all of my old friends..." Raeden trailed off and Kim heard him finish the sentence in his mind, without Lyzel. The sharp pang of loss was right there on the surface, making it hard to breathe again, and Kim felt Raeden wrestling to get his emotions under control and bury his pain. Raeden shifted his focus to Kim and the big man's hand, which had been around his waist, moved to palm one of his glutes. Kim felt a wave of desire wash over Raeden as heat flushed his own body from the mod's intimate touch.

Can't wait to get you home, Raeden murmured, bending slightly to kiss the top of Kim's head.

They passed one other person going the opposite direction as they traversed the long hallway. He was tall, 6'3 or so Kim guessed, and was so obscenely muscled his head appeared to sit on his chest—the muscles of his neck bulging off to either side of his chin. His biceps were as big around as his narrow waist and the muscles in his thighs were so big that his walk was bow-legged to accommodate them. He nodded to them politely as he passed, his eyes widening slightly when he noticed Kim, but he didn't say anything.

That's Bob. He's a Battle Boy. I don't really know him. We don't hang with them much. They all seem a bit pompous and not particularly bright, Raeden explained over their mindlink. Kim felt a wave of guilt wash over Raeden then. I'm sorry. I should probably try to get to know some of them better before I judge them, he added. They may be perfectly nice.

"Here we are," Raeden said a moment later, pulling to a stop in front of a door labeled 5615. He passed his intel over the state-of-the-art reader that was mounted next to the door. Nothing happened.

Fucking loaner intel. Why don't you try, Kim?

Kim was startled for a second. The whole afternoon had seemed unreal to him. It didn't seem possible that he had access to a luxury apartment in Zonesee—that it was actually his own ... well, his to share with Raeden. He passed his intel over the reader and was pleasantly surprised when he heard the click of the lock releasing.

Raeden opened the door and ushered Kim inside in front of him.

Kim barely got a glance at a huge room with picture windows all along two walls and a night cityscape spread out beyond that. Raeden slammed the door shut, swept Kim up into his arms, and deposited him onto the nearest flat surface—the kitchen counter. He caught site of Raeden's eyes, wild with lust, just before warm lips crashed down on his and a strong tongue invaded his mouth.

All thought flew out of Kim's mind. His world became Raeden's slick tongue thrusting into his mouth, big hands touching his body everywhere, moving at lightning speed, stroking his arms, his sides, his legs. Raeden untucked his shirt with an impatient yank and one of his hands snaked underneath, rubbing across his stomach and chest. Kim shuddered with the sensation, electricity arcing through his body.

Raeden's tongue explored, licking and tasting Kim's mouth, hot and furious. Raeden tweaked his nipple, and a whimper came out of the back of Kim's throat. He clutched Raeden's head, running his hand through the short-cropped hair, tracing the shell of his ear and then feeling the stubble along his jawline. His other hand drifted to Raeden's stomach, touching the smooth skin between his low-slung sweats and the too-small t-shirt. His senses were filled with the big man's scent, the sounds of his quick pants between kisses, the feel of his huge, muscular form pressed against him, possessing him, wanting him, taking him.

He felt hot all over, burning with a desire so intense he almost couldn't bear it. He could feel Raeden's hunger too, overwhelming in its urgency. The big man growled and shifted him so that their crotches were flush. Kim wrapped his legs around Raeden's torso as the bigger man began to grind against him, holding him close with a firm hand around Kim's waist as his hips started a fast rhythm.

Kim's cock was fully engorged, straining against his slacks. The friction Raeden was creating was too much. He felt the warning shocks of impeding orgasm racing through him, and then he felt something that stopped it cold.

Raeden's cock was enormous. He could feel the massive, iron-hard shaft thrusting against his own cock, and what should have been ecstasy turned into terror as a vision of Raeden forcing his monstrous cock into his own small channel suddenly overwhelmed him.

Oh my god! He wants to have sex with me and I can't ... I can't! Kim swallowed back a whimper of terror as cold fear spread over him, extinguishing the flames of his passion like a bucket of cold water.

Chapter Eighteen

Raeden felt terror ripple through Kim and it pulled him quickly out of lust-fugue. His senses automatically went on high alert, trying to detect the cause of his mate's fear, even as he stopped his hip movements and pulled out of the kiss. Sensing no immediate danger, he kept his face close to Kim's, panting into his delicate ear as he tried to beat down his raging libido.

Kim's fear eased a notch, although his anxiety level was still through the roof. That's when it hit Raeden that Kim was afraid of him. With that realization came a deluge of hurt. Raeden knew that, prior to meeting him, Kim's only sexual experiences had been terrifying and painful; it was perfectly natural for him to be afraid. But Raeden couldn't help his emotions. He was crushed that Kim didn't trust him.

He doesn't know you well. You've only been together six weeks. Lyzel and you had spent most of your lives together before you even started having sex. This is all new for Kim and he doesn't trust easily.

In spite of his internal pep talk, he was flooded with a deep sense of loss. He had lost the close bond that he'd had with Lyzel. It felt as if a critical part of him—an arm or a leg or an eye—had been cut off. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to reach the same level of intimacy with Kim. He closed his eyes against the burning that signaled oncoming tears as gut-wrenching pain tore through his heart. He heard Kim gasp and, realizing that his new mate was feeling his emotions, he tried to focus on Kim instead of himself.

He licked slowly along the shell of Kim's ear, taking in his comforting scent, slowing his breathing and his heart rate. Kim stroked the side of his face, his anxiety now almost completely replaced by concern. He cares deeply for me. That thought eased his hurt and sorrow more than his mind's monologue had.

He pulled away enough to look Kim in the eye. The beautiful dark eyes met his, full of worry for him and guilt.

He feels guilty for not wanting sex with me? Raeden didn't know how to fix that. He had already told Kim he wouldn't hurt him, but words didn't seem to be enough. He would have to convince him with his actions. He would take it slowly, seduce Kim gently—even if it was a year before they had intercourse, he wouldn't take him when he was afraid. His libido whimpered pitifully at that thought.

It's Christmas Eve. We shouldn't have all this angst. So rather than bringing up and talking about their feelings, Raeden danced around the subject.

"I'm sorry I attacked you, Kim." He forced a grin. "You smell so damn good and ... it's been a very long time for me."

Kim smiled at him sweetly and ran his finger across Raeden's lips. "I can't imagine I could possibly smell good at this point. I really need a bath."

"Or a shower," Raeden said. "I'm sure there's a shower here somewhere."

As if suddenly realizing where they were, Kim looked around and his jaw dropped open. He sat up abruptly, his head swiveling back and forth to take everything in.

The apartment was definitely impressive even by Raeden's standards. The main room was large enough for three distinct areas: kitchen, dining, and living. Two walls of the great room were taken up by windows, and a glass door opened onto a sizable balcony that wrapped around the corner. On the fifty-sixth floor, they were higher than most of the buildings around them and the night cityscape view was spectacular.

The apartment was furnished with a white fabric couch and chairs, and matching glass and steel coffee and end tables that Raeden didn't really care for. They looked fine, but would be difficult to keep clean; he much preferred faux leather and real wood. And the décor—a few paintings on the walls, lamps, assorted knick-knacks, and rugs—while tasteful, was non-descript. "We can get our own furniture. This is all probably rental stuff," he said.

Kim, still agog, taking it all in, did not reply.

The bones of the apartment were beautiful. The floor looked like a grey stone of some sort, polished and veined with white. There was a white brick fireplace along one wall. The kitchen countertops were pale gray, made of some modern material, the appliances shiny black and state-of-the-art. The fixtures were modern and sleek, and all the basics appeared to be there: coffee maker, microwave, toaster, dishtowels and so on. Raeden was sure the cupboards held dishes and pots and pans.

The dinning room table seated six but Raeden observed that there was room for a much larger table. The center was graced with a large vase of fresh flowers in Christmas reds and whites. Reluctant to leave Kim's side but curious about the tag hanging off of the flowers, Raeden stepped over to read it.

"CorpSci sent us flowers and wishes us Merry Christmas—probably Michelle's doing." A full-sized, real-pine Christmas tree had been set up in the corner where the window walls met and Raeden noticed there were a few wrapped packages under it. Now he wandered over and checked these out too.

"They're from Randy and Michelle," he said. "That's awfully sweet of them. I wonder when they had time to do all this. Michelle probably had Randy running around all day. We'll have to do something nice for them in return. Randy probably expected to have the day off and Michelle came back from her vacation to rescue us."

"Wow! I can't believe this is all ours!" Kim said. His voice held a hushed awe that reflected the expression on his face.

"All ours, Little One, except..." Raeden frowned as he glanced around. Surely they wouldn't have ... but of course they did. He looked at Kim. "Do you mind if I switch to lizard form for a few minutes? I want to clean the bugs out of this place. It'll be in our contract that they can't do that, but we haven't actually signed a contract yet and I wouldn't put it past them to try."

"Bugs?" Kim echoed, and then his eyes widened. "Oh, you think they're spying on us?" A visible shudder ran through him. "No, I don't mind—please do. But why lizard form?"

"I'll be able to smell whatever electronics they might have hidden here, no matter how tiny or discreet. It'll only take a minute."

Kim, still sitting on the kitchen counter, nodded. "Okay."

Raeden lost no time in slipping off his clothes, shifting to lizard form, and rampaging through the unit. By the time he was done, his anger was barely in check. He shifted quickly back to human form, where he had better control.

"Fucking goons!" he grumbled as he dumped the last of the of electronics onto the pile that he'd made on the kitchen counter next to Kim, who had stayed put and watched him with wide eyes. "I can't believe they thought they could get away with this. Fucking pervs even had cameras set up in the bedrooms and bathrooms."

He looked around, opening cupboards and drawers until he found a box of plastic garbage bags. Sweeping the pile of expensive electronics into the bag, he went to the disposal unit built under the kitchen counter, pressed the button for recycle, and dropped the bag inside. With a swish it was swept away to the recycling center somewhere in the depths of the high rise.

Kim's eyes were wide. "You won't get in trouble for removing those?"

Raeden let out a low growl. "I will not live with someone spying on me in my own home. If they don't like it, they can kiss my ass. I'm sure regular citizens end up with hidden bugs or whatnot in their units, but none of the mods will put up with it. Most of us can detect them easily."

He slid his arms around Kim and kissed his forehead. "The shower in the master bath is big enough for two." He couldn't help waggling his eyebrows.

Fortunately Kim's reaction was to let out a small laugh. So he's not afraid of the idea of being intimate with me, Raeden guessed. He's just afraid of the act itself. I can work with that.

Kim pulled slightly away and glanced down at Raeden's cock, which was half hard, lying gently against his thigh. "Umm ... you don't have a cock when you're in lizard form?"

Raeden laughed. "Yes, I do. But most of the time they are retracted, like a lizard's. Unlike a lizard, I actually have control over when they emerge."

Kim's eyebrows flew up. "They?"

"When I'm in lizard form, I have hemipenes. I can show you sometime if you're curious. They are rather ... bizarre-looking."

Raeden didn't know if Kim knew what hemipenes were but he obviously got the concept. His emotions were an odd mix of curiosity and trepidation.

"Did you ... did you and Lyzel ever make love in lizard form?" Kim asked. Raeden could sense another strong emotion, but couldn't quite identify what it was.

"We tried it, of course. I wouldn't call it making love, though. For lizards, it really is just fucking. We do retain some of our human mind while in lizard form, but unfortunately, lizards don't really enjoy sex. It's just an instinctual act for them. So we only tried it once—it really wasn't fun—not the way it should be."

"Oh," Kim said. Raeden sensed his relief. He's comparing himself with Lyzel and worried that he won't measure up.