Storm and Lightning began on the 13th January. Catch up here: week one, week two, week three, week four, week five, week six, week seven, week eight, week nine, week ten, week eleven

On a mining colony planet a long way from Earth, bandit Jedd Lightning dreams of making enough money to get off the planet for good. When a robbery at a high-class brothel goes wrong, he meets gorgeous rentboy Storm and is instantly smitten. But Storm has a few surprises up his sleeve, and when Jedd helps him escape, he realises he might have taken on more than he can handle…

JL Merrow and Lou Harper are once again my fabulous beta readers – any remaining mistakes are my own.

But now, on with the story:

Storm waited until Jedd had prised the grating free, then stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be going first,” he said, “Seeing as how you’re the one with the firepower, which we’ll need if those guards find a way down here.”

“What, not scared of those crocodillos anymore?”

“Fuck you.”

“Sweetheart, we really don’t have time right now. Later though. I promise I’ll give you the ride of your life once we’re out of here.”

Well, of all the jumped-up, egotistical—but no. Amusement rippled through Storm’s psy-field. Was Jedd deliberately winding him up? Clients didn’t do that. Clients were too conscious of their precious minutes ticking down, too ensnared by their lust to waste time on anything other than fucking. It was strangely refreshing to meet someone who could keep a lid on his urges.

Storm shimmied down through the small hole, dropping into another similar room below. There was yet another identical grating in the centre of the floor.

“This place just goes on and on, doesn’t it?” Jedd said once he’d followed Storm through. Landing more heavily on his feet, Storm was pleased to note. He liked having the more limber, lighter body of the two of them—not too different from the original form he’d lost. But what about this crewmate of Jedd’s? What would be his ideal lover?

Jedd crouched down to get to work on the next grating, and Storm leaned back against the wall, watching closely. It was hard not to admire the strong body and deft movements, but he was determined not to get drawn back into desiring Captain Smarmy-pants.

“What’s he like, your crewmate?” Storm asked, keeping the question light and casual.

Jedd’s shoulders tensed before he made a visible effort to relax them. “Nice guy,” he said shortly. “Bit of a techhead, but he still knows how to enjoy himself.”

“Enjoy himself how? Is he into men or women? Or a bit of both?”

“Less talking, more escaping,” Jedd snapped. “Keep an ear out for anyone following us.”

Storm huffed, but remained quiet as he watched Jedd grapple with the grate’s seal. In the end, though, it was Jedd who broke the silence.

“What’s it matter to you? He’s got a woman, anyway. They’re thinking of spawning soon.”

Jedd was thinking about his last question? Storm must have touched a nerve. “Well, he’s going to want to screw me too. Everyone does. I’m just wondering what shape I’m going to have to take for him.”

Jedd stared up at him, incredulous. “Suns above! You’re seriously thinking of seducing Marty? Ain’t gonna happen.” He crossed his arms then, glaring. “Not on my watch.”

“I’m not going to do it deliberately. I told you, I can’t help turning into what people most desire.”

“In terms of looks anyway,” Jedd muttered. “Not so sure about the rest.”

Storm had heard similar from the guards at Tavkel’s, who all thought he was a stroppy diva, even if he was “bootylicious” He decided to let the insult pour over him, like sand off a Ranak’s hide.

“I just want to be prepared. Seeing as how I’ll be trapped on a small ship with the two of you, I think I deserve an idea of what I’m letting myself in for.”

Jedd sighed, and his shoulders slumped down as he turned back to loosening the seal on the grating. “You’re not letting yourself in for anything just yet. Marty’s being held as collateral. We’ve got to get that passcode from Thrublet. That’s why I need you. I figure if anyone can wheedle it out of him, it will be his favourite whore.”

“So you rescued me for that?”

“What? Thought I was doing my good deed for the day? Fuck that. I’m a bandit. Up for hire by the highest bidder. I don’t do good deeds.”

The tough talk was a brittle facade, and Jedd wouldn’t make eye contact. Storm could feel the resentment and guilt underlying those words, but he let it pass.

Jedd frowned and pulled the loose grating up with a loud clank. “Come on, princess. We’ve hit the sewers. You can go first again. Unless you’d rather I did. Wouldn’t want a mythical creature to eat you, would we?”

“Screw you,” Storm said, but he smiled as he said it, then hopped down into the dank smelling tunnel below.

The sewers weren’t as fetid as Storm had expected. Yes, the walls were damp and a thin channel in the floor ran with brackish water, but it was nothing like the sewer systems he’d seen on datafeeds from old Earth. “This is okay,” he called to Jedd, who was making tracks ahead of him while squinting at his datapod. “Doesn’t stink like I expected.” His voice had a strange echo to it, more creepy than the darkness surrounding them.

“That’s because they now filter out anything they can use before it gets down here. Sell it to the farmers as fertiliser. How else d’you think they manage to grow food on this sandy rock?”

Storm had never considered T’almaki agriculture. As a Jiali, he’d always known how to forage for food in the open sands. There was always something there you could eat, if you knew how to look for it.

But right now he didn’t particularly care about how T’almaki scum grew their nasty food. Jedd’s predicament was preying on his mind. “So your Marty’s being held by some unscrupulous bastards you took a job for. What makes you think they’ll let him go, even if you do come up with the goods?”

“He’s going to have to.”

“Why?”

“Because otherwise I’m going to blast my way in there and kill the lying, sadistic bastard! I don’t care if he is Cheerful fucking Charlie. I bet he bleeds just like anyone else, if you stick a knife in him.”

The swell of rage almost knocked Storm off his feet. “Cheerful Charlie? You mean Charlie Stubbs?” By the Sisters! No wonder Jedd was worried. He’d heard about Charlie’s rep from the guards, and the man had always made his skin crawl. Maybe he could help out, though. “I know Charlie.”

Jedd glanced back over his shoulder, sneering. “I’d heard. One of your clients, wasn’t he? Did you enjoy it, screwing him?”

“Not particularly. It wasn’t my kink.”

“Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know what a sick fucker like that’s into. Bet he always has to be in total control, even in bed.”

Storm smiled to himself, remembering. “You’d be surprised.” Jedd just grunted and picked up speed. Storm had to jog to catch him up again, but then kept pace so he could watch Jedd’s face as they escaped. “I might be able to help you there, though. I could distract him. Get him in a vulnerable position. He’s very private. Doesn’t want anyone else seeing or hearing him being serviced, so the guards are always sent out.”

“I’m not putting you in danger like that.”

“If I’m going to be crew, I don’t see why I shouldn’t join in on missions.”

“You will, at Thrublet’s place. But not with Charlie. No way. I’m not having him kidnap anyone else I c— He’s not taking anything else of mine.”

The original word may have been cut off with a horrified expression, but Storm could feel the sentiment coming through loud and clear. So, Captain Machismo actually cared, did he? That was kind of…sweet. And disturbing. Because it meant there was a nice guy somewhere under all that bravado.

But before Storm could say anything, Jedd had frozen, his eyes wide.

“What the fuck is that?”

***

What indeed? Could they have discovered the mythical crocodillo?! Find out next week in another thrilling installment of Storm and Lightning!

Storm and Lightning – © Josephine Myles, 2012. No part of this serial fiction may be reproduced elsewhere without prior permission of the author. Thank you!