Ronan

by Leslie Chase

“You couldn’t kill him when you outnumbered him three to one,” I reminded him, enjoying driving the barb home. It was liberating, knowing that I’d die here — no reason not to antagonize him now. “Your fliers had lasers, his didn’t, and still he brought you down.”

  The prytheen pirate’s face hardened, his smile vanishing behind a mask of rage. I managed to stand my ground, keeping my eyes on his and daring him to hit me. But no, he was too careful of his authority for that. Instead, he gestured to his guards and pointed at the black cube.

  Rough hands dragged me over to it and lay me across it, face up. A zrin stood on either side of me, holding my arms stretched out to the side, and Korhmar held his knife high. The edge gleamed in the bright light of Crashland’s sun. I strained to watch him as he moved to the top of the stairs, addressing the zrin gathered below.

  “This sacrifice will feed my fellow gods,” he shouted in Eskel. “I will call them to me and we shall rule this world. You, my favored followers, will be first amongst the zrin.”

  One of the zrin by his side translated that into their own language. The cheer it raised was uneven, some enthusiastic voices and some frightened or horrified. But no one stepped up to challenge Korhmar, not while he had a laser rifle to enforce his will. Whether or not they believed his claims of divinity, they’d seen what damage the gun did.

  “He lies,” I gasped out, trying one last time to convince the zrin. “Killing me won’t bring more people, and serving him—”

  Korhmar’s hand closed on my throat, choking off my speech. Blade raised high, he grinned down at me and gave me a moment to see my death approaching as the wind whipped up around us.

  The blade came down almost in slow motion, headed for my heart, and I sent a last prayer up for Ronan. Let him be safe, let him be free.

  The wind howled, suddenly strong enough to knock Korhmar back. The knife, aimed at my heart, flashed past me. Cries went up around me, the guards let go of my arms, and Korhmar staggered to regain his balance against the wind. No — not wind. I recognized that sound.

  Thruster engines.

  I tumbled off the black altar, looking around wild-eyed. The flier zoomed past, close enough to touch, and turned almost too sharply for me to believe it.

  Ronan. He’d come for me. My heart thumped as I watched the flier come around for another pass.

  21

  Ronan

  The flier handled badly, mud choking its engines and flight surfaces damaged. The batteries drained too fast, pushing power to the drive to compensate, and the smell of burning plastic filled the cockpit as something overheated.

  I didn’t care. I had a flier and I had my khara to save. My teeth bared in a savage smile, I came around for another pass at the temple.

  The zrin scattered, running down the steps or taking cover where they could. Korhmar was another matter. He whipped up his rifle, taking aim and firing in one swift motion. The shot burned through the cockpit’s canopy, missing me by a finger’s breadth.

  The man was a monster, an arrogant opportunist, and a coward. But no one said he didn’t know how to fight.

  Becca was trapped on the temple with him. My beautiful human took cover behind the black cube, unhurt for now. That would only last until Korhmar decided to use her as leverage, and I refused to give my enemy the chance.

  He ducked under the flier, snapping more shots into its underbelly as I passed overhead. Without guns of my own, this wasn’t a duel I could win — but I didn’t need to.

  Leaping from my seat, I hit the preprogramed autopilot and the flier screeched to a stop in midair. Thrusters howled as it hovered, and I bounded back to leap from the damaged cargo ramp before Korhmar recovered from his surprise.

  He’d never consider giving up the advantage of flight, and I knew he wouldn’t expect me to, either.

  That moment of hesitation was all I needed. I pounced at him and his rifle came around too slowly, a shot passing over my shoulder. Then I was on him, the impact lifting him off his feet and sending the laser rifle flying from his grasp.

  We hit the red stone hard, driving the breath out of both of us. Korhmar squirmed free before I got a grip on him.

  “I’ll kill you and your human,” he snarled as he scrambled for the laser. “You’ll live long enough to see her die!”

  Fire burned in me at those words and I grabbed his ankle, pulling him back. Rage filled my veins, driving the pain and exhaustion from me, and my claws dug deep. Korhmar screamed and kicked back, his booted foot sending me reeling away.

  But I’d bought enough time for Becca to leap from her hiding place and snatch up the rifle. She didn’t waste time trying to shoot Korhmar, just dove away, carrying it out of his reach. I grinned and rolled to my feet.

  “Just our claws now,” I said. “No tricks, no weapons, just you and me. And I will avenge every threat you’ve made to my khara.”

  He judged the distance and snarled. If he was fast, he’d reach Becca before she shot him. But that would mean turning his back on me. He wasn’t that foolish.

  Instead he called out to his zrin followers and snatched a dagger from his belt as he spoke. I cursed — of course Korhmar wasn’t interested in an honorable duel.

  No matter. Whatever he did, I would kill him. He’d laid hands on my khara, and nothing could save him now.

  I stepped forward, keeping a wary eye on the distance between us. The dagger gave him reach, and my injuries slowed me. I had to be careful.

  But rather than taking advantage of that, he backed away still shouting commands. The coward didn’t want to fight me at all, he wanted his minions to finish me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement at the top of the stairs. Two zrin rushing up, eager please their lord. I braced myself for a tougher fight as Korhmar grinned triumphantly.

  A blinding bolt of red light split the stonework in front of the warriors and Becca called out a challenge. They froze, staring at her and the smoking rifle in her hands.

  “I’ve got them,” she told me, keeping the rifle leveled at the pair. “Deal with Korhmar.”

  I didn’t need to be told twice. Pouncing at my enemy, I ducked under his wild attack, kicking his legs out from under him.

  “You fool,” he shouted, rolling away and slashing at me with his claws, desperate to get the space to rise to his feet. “You can still join me, we can rule these primitives together!”

  I kept after him, not giving him a chance to recover, keeping an eye on the blade in his hand. He had reach, and he was fast. In space, I’d slaughter him — but he had more experience of fighting on a planet than I did.

  It didn’t matter. Nothing would save the man when he’d threatened my khara. My claws bit into his side, tearing skin and cutting muscle. His eyes flashed and he stabbed at me, seeing an opening.

  I caught the blade in my already injured left hand, letting the point stab through my palm. Pain shot through me, but not enough to stop me. Closing my hand into a fist around the knife, I yanked it from Korhmar’s grip and snarled at him.

  “You think you can bargain with me?” I roared at his astonished face. Swinging my fist backhanded, I drove the tip of the blade into his face. Korhmar screamed, scrambling away, looking for some new trick to give him an edge.

  I caught him by the throat, my right hand tightening enough to choke off the sound. He gripped my wrist, desperate, gasping as I lifted him off the ground.

  “You want to trap us here forever so you can play god,” I snarled. “You try to kill my khara. And you think that I will ally with you?”

  My voice grew into a roar at the last word, and without waiting for his answer I threw Korhmar from the top of the temple.

  The zrin standing below scrambled out of the way as he fell. Over and over he tumbled, hitting the steps on the way down until he landed, broken and motionless, at the foot of the structure. The zrin guards Becca held at bay looked down at their leader and back at us.

  Without a word they threw down their spears and backed away.

>   Becca was at my side in an instant, holding me tight and trying to support me. I chuckled at that, only to get a glare from my beloved.

  “You’re hurt,” she said accusingly. My chuckles turned into a full-throated laugh.

  “You’re alive,” I countered when I could get a word out again. “We both are. What else matters?”

  She ignored my question, focusing on getting me to sit down on the temple roof. I pulled the dagger from my hand, wincing and flexing my fingers. The wound would heal. All of our wounds would heal. And we would be together.

  The world blurred around me and I relaxed into darkness. The last thing I saw was Becca’s smile.

  I woke to the familiar sensation of metal decking under me, and the thrum of engines. It felt like home, and I sighed. Only one thing was missing. Becca… she wasn’t beside me. My arms were empty. I frowned, and slowly memory returned.

  The temple, the fight, Becca’s gaze as I fell into the healing trance. I’d expected to wake on the temple roof if I woke at all.

  Instead, I was in flight. In the hold of our flier, bundled in blankets and strapped down against the bulky batteries behind me. Muddy streaks showed where the river had drained from the hold when I’d taken off, and the craft was a far cry from the clean environment it had been when we’d left the Joint Colony.

  Someone had forced the ramp shut but bent as it was it hadn’t sealed, and cold air leaked in from the darkness outside.

  Sitting up, I looked at my hand and assessed my injury. The wound had closed, a scar forming, and while moving my fingers hurt, they worked.

  Even in a healing trance, that must have taken at least a day. Pulling myself to my feet, I moved forward cautiously, unsure what reception to expect. I didn’t seem to be a prisoner, but who was flying this thing?

  The answer looked around at me as I stepped into the cockpit.

  “Oh thank god,” Becca said, her hands gripping the control stick as though she were throttling a snake. “I thought I’d have to fly all the way home!”

  I looked at the autopilot. It was perfectly capable of keeping our flight steady, probably more so than Becca. Her hands shook, knuckles white, and my heart ached for her.

  Gently, I lifted her hands from the controls. She protested half-heartedly but trusted me enough to relax. As the autopilot took over, I picked Becca up and kissed her, holding her close as she melted against me. The last of my worries faded in my beloved human’s arms, and I only let her go when she ran out of air.

  “What happened?” I asked, staring at her lovely grinning face. “Why are we…?”

  I trailed off, gesturing out of the cockpit at the stars, and Becca shivered.

  “I didn’t know what else to do,” she said, holding on tight. “You were in your healing trance and the zrin, well, their clan was split. Some of them liked the power Korhmar gave them, were angry with you for killing him. I was worried they’d murder you before you woke up.”

  I nodded. Every species had people like that, those who would follow any leader who offered them power over others. They wouldn’t last long now that we’d removed Korhmar, but the transition might be messy. Better that we stayed out of the way during that.

  “So I got the ones I trusted to get you aboard,” she continued. “While I had the laser rifle no one wanted to pick a fight. And, well, I did my best to get us home. It seemed safer than waiting there.”

  The strain of that decision was clear in her muscles, the tension in her neck, the way she clung to me. To get me to safety, she’d faced her worst fear. My heart swelled with joy and love for the woman fate had sent me.

  “You are so brave,” I told her, running my hand through her hair. Becca looked up at me, a suspicious frown on her face.

  “I’m terrified,” she said, as though that was a counter to my words. I squeezed her close, her beautiful curves pressing against me. Nothing could be better, and my heart raced at her touch. The urge to take her, right there in the cockpit, surged inside me but I held myself back.

  “That’s what I mean, beloved,” I told her, my voice rough. “Despite that, you did what you had to. To protect me, you faced down your fear — and you won.”

  Her frown faded, replaced by a smile that took my breath away. No one ought to be so beautiful, so desirable. It wasn’t fair.

  But since Becca was, I counted myself the luckiest man in the universe to have her as my mate.

  A glance at the autopilot told me that our flight was in good hands. There were hours left before we reached home, but we were over safe territory now. No need to pay attention, only Becca’s fears had kept her at the controls. I grinned savagely, lifting her against my chest and turning towards the hold.

  “What are you doing?” Becca’s question came out as a gasp, and she squirmed in my hands. I squeezed that delightful ass, pulling her tight against me and silencing her with a kiss as I carried her back to the hold.

  “I am going to mate you,” I told her, my firm tone earning another gasp from her. “We have been too long apart.”

  “But the controls—”

  “Are fine,” I interrupted. “You programed them well, and Athena will alert us if there’s any trouble.”

  The hologram nodded quickly, launching itself into the air and flying forward. Becca’s eyes followed it for a moment, then returned to me. A lovely blush spread across her cheeks and I shivered with need.

  So did she. No more protests came as I pressed her down into the nest of blankets, my body against hers.

  “Fuck,” she mumbled, hands pulling at my pants.

  “That’s the idea,” I growled, enjoying the whimper that escaped her at my words. I pulled my mate’s clothes off, impatient to see her as she should be — naked, beautiful, panting with need.

  Her clever fingers undid my belt at the same time and I growled as she freed my cock. Stroking me, she urged me towards her pussy, but I shook my head. Not yet. No matter how hard I was, how much I wanted her, I would taste her first.

  Becca arched her back as I lifted her hips, raising her sweet, delicious pussy to my mouth. With a whimper she surrendered herself to me, her hands clutching at the nest of blankets while I sank my tongue into her.

  My beloved human shook in my grip, whimpers turning to cries of ecstasy as my tongue danced across her. I savored every moment of my khara’s joy, every little cry that escaped her.

  But I needed more. Needed to bury myself in her, to fill her, to fuck her. Growling low I rose, lifting her from the bedding, pulling her to me. Her eyes wide, Becca wrapped her legs around me and I pressed her against the wall of the hold, my cock resting against her entrance.

  Then I stopped and met her gaze. She trembled, fingers digging into my back, urging me on. I smiled and shook my head.

  “Fuck, you’re going to make me beg for it?” Becca whispered, her heart racing. I felt every beat against my chest.

  “Yes,” I told her. “Tell me you want it, Becca.”

  The flush that spread across her cheeks, down to her breasts, made my cock vibrate in anticipation. Becca groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and biting her lip.

  “I want you,” she whispered. Then, louder, “I want your cock, Ronan. Please, I need you inside me.”

  My answer was a roar as I slammed myself into her, sinking deep and pushing her against the wall with my thrust. Becca screamed my name and I took her, hard and rough, the flier shaking as I give her what we both needed so badly.

  Becca’s fingers dug into my back, scratching as her legs squeezed me, and I pounded hard and fast, filling her pussy and making us both pant. I gave her no rest, no quarter, and she asked for none.

  Eventually, our bodies slick with sweat, I growled and lowered myself to the floor, carrying her with me. Lying back, I looked up at her straddling my hips, her body unforgettably beautiful as she rode my cock.

  Slowly pumping my hips, I raised my hands to caress her, sliding fingers over her full breasts, teasing her hard nipples between thumb and forefin
ger. Becca shuddered, gasped, pressed herself against my hands and squeezed me inside her. Now it was my turn to gasp, that pleasure almost overwhelming my control.

  I pulled her down to me, her body moving against mine as we kissed. Our tongues met in a passionate dance and we melted into one another. It was hard to tell where I ended and she began.

  “Please,” Becca whispered when our lips parted again. I growled.

  “Please, what? Tell me, khara, tell me what you need.”

  “Oh god,” Becca breathed, kissing me again. “God, Ronan, cum. Cum inside me.”

  I roared at that, thrusting up into her, burying my cock deep inside her. Holding back was impossible, and I came hard inside my mate, filling her with my seed.

  My hands held her hips, pushing her down on my pulsing cock as she screamed and writhed against me. Orgasms washed through her like waves until at last we collapsed, spent and hoarse, our bodies trembling. I cradled her to my chest, stroked her hair, and smiled.

  My khara smiled back, looking up at me with wide, bright eyes. I thought that nothing in the universe could make me happier than that moment.

  “My love,” she whispered, stroking my cheek gently. “My khara.”

  That word from her lips proved me wrong. As happy as I’d been a moment before, it was nothing compared to this.

  22

  Becca

  Exhausted by everything that had happened, I barely noticed the rest of the flight home. That was just as well — I’d overcome my fears enough to get us into the air when our lives were on the line, but that didn’t make me happy to fly.

  Fortunately, Ronan was all the distraction I needed. While I was in his arms, nothing else mattered. Why didn’t a doctor prescribe that years ago? The thought made me giggle and blush.

  I only remembered to be frightened when we finally reached the Joint Colony. Ronan took the controls, but the damage was too much for even him to make a smooth landing. We hit the ground with a horrifying thump and skidded to a stop.