Loving Kit (Felines of Furyne Book 1) Page 12

  Logan had expected a little scepticism, but not this open hostility. “Excuse me, Captain, but how do you imagine I got here if it weren’t for the assistance of the beings I’ve just told you about?”

  “Clearly you’ve used one of the light crafts from the Mercury for this elaborate prank. I will be speaking to your captain in due course, and I can promise you, you’ll never fly another spaceship.”

  “The Mercury is gone,” Logan insisted. “And the light crafts aren’t equipped for flight in open space. This ship is heading straight into the restricted zone. I’ve already programmed in the course you need to take to avoid being commandeered. It just needs you and Peters to authorise it.”

  “I’ll do no such thing,” Captain Collins said. “Now, I suggest you find some proper clothes and Doctor Fredericks will find you a spare pod. You’ll remain on board this ship until we reach New Earth. I hope your backup pilot knows what he’s doing, since you won’t be returning to your ship to navigate it when it arrives at our new home.”

  Logan sighed. “Would it help if I introduced you to the two aliens who helped me get here?”

  Captain Collins continued to glare at him. “You do yourself no favours in trying to prolong this joke.”

  “I’d like to meet them,” Doctor Fredericks said quietly. “If they are truly aliens, I’m surely the best person here to judge that. If they are merely other members of the Mercury, I’ll be able to tell.”

  “Absolutely ridiculous,” Captain Collins mumbled.

  Doctor Fredericks gestured towards the doorway and Logan hurried out of the room. He hoped he was doing the right thing in bringing Halor and Kit before the others.

  “How’s it going?” Kit asked when he arrived on Halor’s ship.

  “Not too well,” Logan replied. “The captain refuses to change course. He doesn’t believe me. He thinks I’ve somehow used one of the smaller flight crafts from my ship to get here and pull a prank. Those crafts aren’t safe for open space, as he should know as well as I do.”

  “You think it might help if he were to see us?” Halor guessed.

  “It might, even if he can’t understand you or you him. Doctor Fredericks seems to be more open-minded and would like to examine you both, to check whether you are truly aliens or members of my own ship’s crew, playing them for fools.”

  “You’ll remember our discussion earlier,” Halor said.

  “I do.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kit asked.

  “Nothing you need to worry about,” Halor assured him. “I’ll come with you, Logan. I think Kit should stay here where he can make a quick escape if he needs to.”

  “I will not!” Kit argued. “I’m not leaving your side.”

  “Kit, this medic wants to examine us,” Halor said, “to see whether we are alien or human. You know what she will find when she takes a closer look at you.”

  Kit shuddered. “I’m still coming with you.”

  “I’ll try to convince her not to examine you that closely,” Logan promised. “After all, with the feathers, fur, ears, tail, teeth, and claws, there’s plenty to convince her without the necessity of peeking under your kilt.”

  Since there was no convincing Kit to remain behind, all three of them headed back to the flight deck where the three crew members of the Neptune waited for them.

  “I suppose you want to convince us that these are your two aliens?” Captain Collins said as they entered. “I’ve seen better costumes from trick or treaters at Halloween.”

  Logan ignored him. “Doctor Fredericks, may I introduce you to Halor and Kit. I’m afraid you won’t be able to understand what they are saying, but I’ll be happy to translate for you.”

  “Can they understand us?” Doctor Fredericks asked.

  “They can now,” Logan said. “You’ll recall I mentioned an implant to assist with the language barrier. They can understand English, but if you don’t have an implant, you won’t understand their speech.”

  Doctor Fredericks approached slowly and held out her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

  Halor and Kit stared at her hand as if they had never seen one before.

  “They are not familiar with Earth customs such as shaking hands,” Logan explained. “Halor, perhaps you would like to go first. I believe Doctor Fredericks would be most interested in seeing your wings.”

  Kit stepped aside so that Halor could spread out his arms, showing the way the skin stretched from his armpit to just above the elbow. Halor turned round so they could see the brightly coloured markings that covered the backs of his arms and the skin.

  “You clearly have quite a degree of movement,” Doctor Fredericks commented. “Can you raise your arms above your head?”

  Halor raised them as far as they would go but couldn’t hold them that high.

  “They do somewhat limit your mobility. Are you capable of flight?”

  “Not without a vehicle,” Halor replied.

  Doctor Fredericks jumped at his response, which no doubt sounded like a sequence of squawks.

  “He can’t fly,” Logan confirmed.

  Doctor Fredericks nodded thoughtfully before taking a closer look at Halor’s head, lightly fingering the tiny soft feathers that covered his scalp and the longer bright plumage that ran down the centre. “Amazing.”

  “He usually shaves the smaller feathers,” Logan explained, “just keeping the longer ones down the centre.”

  While the medic was studying Halor, Joseph Peters had drawn nearer, clearly curious as well. Only the captain remained in his seat.

  Finally, she had finished examining Halor and turned to Kit, who had crept closer to Logan and was pressed against his side. Logan, not thinking anything of what it must look like, hugged Kit close, seeking to keep him calm.

  Doctor Fredericks gave Logan an odd look. “And this is Kit, yes?”

  Kit nodded.

  “Clearly a different species to Halor, who has many bird-like qualities. Kit would appear more of a feline. The ears are reminiscent of those of cats, as is the fur and those eyes.”

  “And the tail,” Joseph said, pointing behind Kit to where his cat tail was poking out from under his kilt. “Real life aliens. Wow!”

  Doctor Fredericks turned to the captain. “I do believe we have our first alien encounter, Captain Collins.”

  Logan breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn’t insisting on a more intimate examination. “Captain, I hope you’ll now believe my report and authorise the change of course.”

  Captain Collins finally approached them, though he didn’t appear any more convinced. “Peters, how much additional time will the new route add onto our journey?”

  The navigator returned to his seat, somewhat reluctantly, and studied the information Logan had put into the computer.

  “There’s more than one detour,” Peters explained. “The first is relatively short, but the second is much larger and will add in the region of another hundred years.”

  “Why so long?” the captain asked.

  “You need to bypass an entire solar system,” Logan explained. “It’s a relatively small one but with many hostiles in it.”

  “Do we have enough fuel for such a detour?”

  Peters shook his head. “No. We would probably make it to New Earth, but it wouldn’t leave us with enough fuel to land.”

  “Then we remain on our current course,” Captain Collins said.

  “We can provide additional fuel,” Halor said.

  “What’s he screeching about?” the captain snapped.

  “He’s offering to provide additional fuel,” Logan replied. “Can you do that?” he asked Halor.

  “Of course. Once the two ships are on their new routes, we can go back to switch to my other ship, fill the cargo hold with fuel, then come and refuel both this ship and presumably the second one, too. There will be plenty of time to do that, and provided you can be given authority to refuel the ship, there shouldn’t be any need to disturb the crew ag
ain.”

  “He said yes,” Logan told the captain.

  “Rather a long-winded way of saying it,” the captain muttered. “Well, I suppose in those circumstances it can’t do any harm to change course, though if I find out later that this is some kind of ruse, I stand by my previous comments and swear you will never pilot another ship.”

  Logan held his tongue and took the pilot’s seat so he could enter the authorisation code at the same time as the captain and the navigator.

  Once they were on the new course and Logan had been given the authorisation he needed to refuel the vessel, the captain insisted Doctor Fredericks put himself and Peters back into their cryogenic pods as soon as possible.

  When they were safely under, Doctor Fredericks climbed into her own. “We won’t see you again, will we, Logan?” she asked.

  Logan shook his head. “Once the two ships are on course and fully fuelled, I’m going to try to find out what’s happened to the rest of the crew and passengers from my own craft. We’re too far away to reach New Earth without our pods, and while mine is still accessible, I suspect most of them won’t be.”

  “That’s not the only reason though, is it?” Doctor Fredericks nodded meaningfully at Halor and Kit, who were waiting for Logan in the doorway.

  “No, it’s not. Halor and Kit are my family now. I intend to spend the rest of my life with them.”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Logan gave her a quick hug and whispered in her ear. “I do.”

  * * * *

  Kit curled into Logan’s side as they snuggled together in Halor’s bed. “I’m glad it was you I accidentally bought and not that captain. I didn’t like him.”

  “Me either,” Logan replied. “My own captain was far more reasonable. Let’s hope the captain of the Jupiter is more like mine.”

  “Do you think he or she will be?”

  “I don’t know. I never met Captain Farraday, but my sister said he was a fair man. We should find out soon. According to Halor, we should meet the Jupiter heading towards us in about two weeks.”

  “That long?” Kit asked. “I thought they were only a month apart?”

  “They are, but we used up a lot of fuel making sure we caught up with the Neptune before it reached the restricted zone. There’s nowhere nearby to refuel and Halor doesn’t want to risk us getting stuck out here.”

  “Your ships have strange names,” Kit commented. “I’ve never heard those words before.”

  “So do yours,” Logan teased. “Kitty Carrier? My ships are named after planets in our solar system—Mercury, Neptune, and Jupiter. And those planets were named for ancient Roman gods.”

  “What are gods?” Kit asked.

  Logan shook his head. “How about we save that discussion for later, because I suspect every answer will generate a dozen more questions.”

  Kit smiled and didn’t press him, returning instead to their previous subject. “Doctor Fredericks was nice, though.”

  “Yes, she was at least prepared to listen. I’m just glad she didn’t insist on keeping you and Halor on board to continue her examination when she wakes up again.”

  “Me, too,” Kit replied as he drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Eight

  “There it is,” Halor said, pointing at the display. “You’d better go and see if Kit is awake. It’s probably going to be another bumpy ride as we dock and I don’t want him falling out of bed.”

  Logan nodded and went to find the feline.

  Kit was curled up on their bed, though he wasn’t asleep.

  “Hey, Kit, we’re coming up on the last ship.” Logan hopped onto the bed, causing the mattress to bounce. Kit paled and darted off the bed like a shot, diving for the adjoining bathroom. “Kit? Are you all right?”

  Logan hurried after Kit and found him hunched over the wash basin. “Kit?”

  Kit breathed in deeply and glanced over his shoulder. “Just give me a minute.”

  Logan approached Kit cautiously and placed his hand on the small of his back. “I might not be overly familiar with pregnancies, but I’m guessing your current state is the confirmation we’ve been waiting for.”

  Kit nodded. “I was going to tell you and Halor, but I wasn’t quite sure until the sickness started.”

  “And when did it start?” Logan asked.

  “A couple of days ago,” Kit admitted.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I didn’t want to worry you both. You’ve got enough on your mind with your missing crew.”

  “I should have noticed.”

  Kit gave him a weak smile. “You’ve been busy on the flight deck, and while I’ve been nauseous most of the time, I’ve only actually vomited a handful of times.”

  “Oh, Kit, you should have said something.”

  Kit rinsed his mouth out with water and turned to lean against the basin. “I would have sooner or later. It’s not like I could hide it once I start to show anyway.”

  Logan looked at Kit’s stomach, still quite flat. “When do you think that’ll be?”

  “I’m not sure,” Kit said with a flush. “Feline pregnancies last six months. We usually start to show after the second month, which is when the morning sickness is supposed to stop, too. Because of what I am, there’ll be other signs, also. One’s already begun. You won’t have noticed yet, but I have.”

  “Huh?”

  “I’m already starting to develop my breasts,” Kit said. “They don’t show yet, but they’re already sensitive to the touch. By the time I give birth, they’ll be really obvious. They won’t be as large as a female’s, but they’ll be big enough to produce the milk our baby will need. I keep staring at them, trying to figure out whether they look any different.”

  “I guess I didn’t think about how you would be feeding our child. I’ve not spent much time around new babies—or any time, really.” Logan gave Kit’s chest an appraising glance. “I can’t see any difference yet.”

  Kit flushed. “And you’re really looking, aren’t you?”

  Logan ran a finger over one of the nubs and Kit shuddered at his touch, moaning softly. “How sensitive are they?”

  Kit ran his fingers through Logan’s hair and guided his mouth to his chest. Logan didn’t need him to explain. He licked at the nub and Kit whimpered in delight.

  Logan sucked the nipple into his mouth and Kit’s erection rose instantly, poking at him insistently. He used one hand to grope under the kilt, and Kit responded with eager thrusts into his fist.

  It took only a few strokes for Kit to climax, the thick ropes of cum coating Logan’s hand.

  Logan guided Kit back onto the bed and sat him down. Kit gazed at him with so much love in his eyes that Logan thought his heart would burst with joy. He raised his fingers to his lips and licked up the cum with slow and deliberate moves.

  Kit grinned at him. “You like my cream almost as much as I like yours.”

  Logan nodded as he gathered up the last drop. “I do indeed.”

  Kit’s smile fell away and Logan had no idea why. “Kit, what is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Will you still want me?” Kit whispered.

  “What?” Logan asked. “Where in the world did that come from?”

  Kit sniffled. “For as long as I’m carrying the child right up until it’s weaned, my female hormones will no longer be suppressed. I won’t be as male as I was. You and Halor both prefer the male form. Halor has never even been with a female.”

  “Neither have I,” Logan said.

  “But you and me…”

  Logan pulled Kit into his arms. “You are not a female.”

  “You may not think that in a few months’ time.”

  “Kit, I love you, and that’s not going to change because you have a few female attributes. And I can promise you that Halor feels exactly the same way.”

  Kit smiled up at him. “You love me?”

  Logan opened and closed his mouth. Yes, I did say that, didn’t
I? “Yes, I think I do.”

  Kit wrapped himself around Logan and clung to him tightly. “I knew I made the right decision when I chose you.”

  “You did, Kit. You really did.”

  “I guess we should go and tell Halor,” Kit said.

  Logan nodded. “Come on, then.”

  They headed back up to the flight deck where Halor was studying the readings.

  “Are we ready to dock?” Logan asked.

  “Almost,” Halor confirmed. “We should be on board soon.”

  “Great,” Logan said as he took a seat beside Halor and pulled Kit onto his lap. He nodded towards Halor, silently requesting Kit tell their lover his news. Kit didn’t seem to notice his prompting but Halor did.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  Logan smiled encouragingly at Kit, who seemed suddenly tongue tied. He guessed he would have to tell Halor for him. “Kit’s pregnant.”

  Halor smiled. “Yes, I know. I did wonder when he was going to tell us.”

  “You knew?” Kit asked.

  “Of course I knew,” Halor replied. “I noticed you’ve been paler and sticking close to the bathroom. You’ve also been feeding more from me and less from Logan in the last few days. I’m guessing you’ve had the same thought I did, that intoxicating cream might not be good for the baby. Plus, I’m not blind, and I know you well enough to recognise the changes in your body. Last night you nearly bucked off the bed when I touched your chest. I know you always like having your nipples played with, but you’ve never enjoyed it quite that much.”

  “Oh. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I was waiting for you to say something.” Halor held out his arms. “Come here, you silly feline.”

  Kit extricated himself from Logan’s embrace and flew to Halor’s lap, kissing him enthusiastically.

  Logan smiled at the sight. In the coming months, he and Halor would be devoted to Kit, making sure he wanted for nothing as they prepared for the new addition to their family.

  * * * *

  Just as on the previous ship, Logan woke only the minimal crew, the only addition being his sister, Darcy, a junior medic.