Black Hole Heartbeat

Lavell - 41

She and Forr left the hangar while the rest of them discussed the discovery.

Her photographic memory replaced the static in her head. Forr grabbing

Rusalka's gun. Her lion.

The elevator stopped and Forr turned for the armoury. Lavell took him by

the hand and gently pulled him towards their cabin.

"I need to change out of my armour," he said.

"No, you don't."

"It's covered in blood."

"I know," Lavell said, her palm softly cradling his new hand.

They entered the bedroom. Lavell kicked the door closed with her heel then

crawled onto the bed. Forr just stood there. He was not used to seeing her

act this way, and he had forgotten what to do with it.

"Make love to me like I'm Krei," she said.

"I don't think –"

"I want to."

The Jahlder told ghost stories about Krei love making back on Herso.

She stripped off her armour and knelt on the bed with her back to Forr. "Why..." he started.

"Because I love you. All of you, and I know you love all of me."

Lavell looked back over her shoulder.

"I don't want this from you," he said.

She took his hand and guided it over her scars.

"You're Krei. This is how you did it before you met me."

"My life didn't start until I met you."

Lavell's shoulder blades rolled as her back arched arched.

"My brave lion. I want you to love me like I'm Krei."

She leaned back and kissed him powerfully, inviting his flat tongue into her

mouth.

His metal hand cupped her bare thigh, hoisting her close against him. She

peeled herself away. She wanted him to. The Krei found combat and

competition everywhere. Lavell was supposed to wrestle with Forr for

dominance. But as she took him in deeper she had no interest in dominating.

She wanted her lion to take her. He wrapped his arm around her neck but

did not tense. Her throat was resting in the crook of his elbow. She leaned

forward with obedience as he pressed his weight down and slid inside.

Soon the hurt dissolved into a pleasurable friction. She had never felt Forr

move this fast before.

It left her breathless. When it was done, all she could do was lie next to him,

weak and limp.

"Nisno alme quor hoo meaher," she said.

"Was that old Jahlder?" he asked.

"The kind they don't install on translators."

"What does it mean?"

"Literally it translates to; 'There is no distance which can be measured

empirically which would affect my love for you.'"

"I can see why the expression died out," he said.

"The more romantic Jahlder prefer 'I will love you forever, across the stars.'"

"I didn't think there were any romantic Jahlder," Forr said.

Lavell sat up.

"There's me."

"Talanacti."

"My lion," she said, leaning in to kiss him.

He moved away, fiddling with his transmitters.

"Something wrong?" she asked. "When I shot that Shrook... it jammed. I didn't mean to fire that many

rounds."

Lavell unclipped his nodes and removed his metal hand. It didn't jam. It was

fueled by thought and emotion. He fired that many because he wanted to

protect her.

She kissed his forehead and tried to fall asleep. The Krei way had hurt.

~*~

The ship rocked with a violent tremor and her face fell hard against his.

"What was that?"

Forr jumped out of bed. He ran to the window, Lavell behind him. Red razor

prongs poked from a pointed oval. The ship was a teardrop with guns.

"She found me," he said bitterly.

"Who?" Lavell asked, but he was already running towards the flight deck.