Page 30 of Saved By the Servali

“Coming!” Nessa turned off the sink and moved to the door, wondering if a service droid was coming to take her empty tray. The sleek metal door slid back with a soft whoosh, and Kamau stood before her, head cocked with a somewhat uncertain expression.

“Hello, Nessa.”

“Oh! Hi!” Her weak muscles immediately felt warmer and stronger. “Come in! I thought you were too busy to visit today.”

“You were too busy,” he said, his voice holding a sharp edge that made her step back. “I’m sorry. I know you had to make statements and speak to so many people about unpleasant things.”

Nessa shrugged. “At least I’m alive to tell my story. The less groggy I am, the more I’m back to my old self, the more some pieces are falling into place.”

Kamau’s ears swiveled forward, and his tail—that talented tail—swished with interest. “Tell me?”

“Sure.” She beckoned him in, and he came, smelling deliciously of savory roasting meats and delicate spices.Good enough to eat.

Sudden images of her sliding that thick, juicy pink cock into her mouth overwhelmed her, and she wondered if he could sense the shift in her body. She could feel the warmth he evoked creating a heated puddle in her pussy that was slowly seeping out of her sheer, incredibly smooth underwear to kiss her thighs.

“You spoiled me,” she breathed out, more to herself than to him.

Kamau turned to look over his shoulder, and that was enough to send the heat from a slowly spreading puddle into a rushing river. The muscles in his shoulders and narrow back rippled, and the laser focus in his eyes pinned her to the spot and stole her air.

“I should tell you something first,” he said, his voice lower and more somber.

“What’s wrong? Something is wrong, isn’t it?” Nessa demanded, loving the way his voice caressed her but hating the serious tone that came with a frown.

“I heard part of your call. I thought I would slip in and leave you a tray of floribunda biscuits to keep up your strength—and because they are a sweet treat, though not as sweet as you.” Kamau’s serious frown fell to reveal a bashful smile, but then the wall went back up. “In the Servali System, there were few plants that grew in the deserts. That is somewhat different now, thanks to extensive terraforming, but in the days of early settlement, the floribunda bush grew with both flowers and fruit, similar to the cherry and rose of the Sapien System. Floribunda nectar, perfume, and other gifts made from the plant are used as a show of courtship and desire. They’re often given to couples at their weddings or to celebrate their unions, as well.”

“Aww. That’s so sweet. And you... You wanted to give that to me?” Nessa knew she was blushing, but she didn’t think Kamau would be able to tell, thanks to her dark skin and the dimness of the room. “No one’s ever been so sweet to me, Kamau.”

“I should not have given them to you without asking first. I... I think maybe our night together meant a great deal to me, but little to you. I heard you tell the man that he was your lover simply for a good time. I can accept that such is the way in human culture. I shouldn’t have overheard, but once I did—I hid. I thought I should avoid entangling my heart further withyours.” He gave her a wobbly smile. “But it was a very, very good time, my Nessa. And I will always be grateful for it, my Queen.”

“Oh. Oh, Kamau.” Nessa reached for his paw, sucking in a deep breath. “What I said to Merton wasn’t even true.”

“You do love him?”

“No. It wasn’t even for a good time. I hoped it would be, but it wasn’t. I... I’m older. Lonely. Working and living at the MWIP seriously limits your dating options. Merton and I met at a holiday party and got carried away. Months later, he asked me out for drinks, and the same thing happened. He’s not even a friend, he’s an acquaintance.”

“But you... You were intimate?”

“His body invaded my body when I was trying to feel something good. I don’t remember anything about it but expecting it to last longer and feel better. Or good at all.” Nessa winced at the fuzzy memory.

Kamau licked his lips. “Was—Was it good with me? Long enough and good enough, my Queen? Because I can do much better. I was—”

“You wereamazing. It was much more than anything I’d ever felt before. I guess in the Felid culture, it starts in the heart and moves into the body?”

“Yes.”

“That’s how we dream of it going, but it rarely does. Humans seem to start in the sheets and fizzle out. It’s rare to hear someone talk about matters of the heart or being in love.”

Kamau’s hopeful look fell. “Oh. But Layla and Wendy—”

“I’m not them.” Nessa swallowed hard, wishing she could soften the words that had come out far too blunt and harsh. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“I know what you meant. My ways aren’t right for you.”

Nessa kept a firm grip on the paw that he tried to pull away. “I wouldn’t say that. We could meet in the middle. Start at bodies and move to hearts?”

His other paw came up to cup her chin. “My Queen... My heart was pulled toward yours from the second I saw you. I have never felt anything like it. Even in a soiled uniform with blood trickles on your face—” Kamau let out a strangled gasp that was oddly one of the most articulate things she’d ever heard, “I was struck by your beauty, and I knew you were a warrior Queen, a goddess in human form.”

Nessa said nothing for a second, studying him. The enraptured look, his noise of awe, the paw that slid from her cheek to cover his chest...

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