by Presley Hall
It’s as if she’s known Miri forever rather than a few hours. She seems to know exactly how to connect with the small, frightened child, and I find myself entranced by the sight of it. I’ve been a warrior and pilot for most of my life. I have no idea how to coax a child to eat foods they don’t like or calm them when they’re scared, and it’s astounding watching Cora do it so easily.
I tell her as much in our bedroom afterward, once she has Miri safely tucked into bed and the little girl is fast asleep.
“You’re amazing with her,” I say as I watch her strip off her trousers, folding them over the chair next to the bed, still in her long shirt. I reach up to stroke her hair as she crawls into bed next to me, making a small sound of happiness as she comes into contact with my warm, bare skin.
“God, it’s cold on Nierra,” she murmurs, shivering and moving closer to me. “Do you really think so? That I’m good with her?”
“Yes,” I say firmly. “If you hadn’t been there with us today, I’m not sure any of us could’ve gotten her to crawl out of the crates and come with us. But she seemed to trust you almost immediately. That’s a gift, one that not everyone possesses.”
“Thank you,” Cora says softly, blushing a little. “I’ve always really loved kids. I guess… that’s why it was so hard to come to terms with the fact that I would never have children of my own. Before I was abducted by the Orkun, I thought of possibly adopting at some point in the future.”
“Is that a common thing on Terra?”
“Sometimes. It can be expensive. But there’s fostering too, where couples take in children whose parents have abandoned them or who can’t be trusted with them any longer. That’s a different thing—the kids can go back to their parents sometimes, and that can be hard. But I considered that as an option too, and a way to help kids in need.”
“You’re the most compassionate person I’ve ever met,” I tell her, facing her as I stroke her hair away from her face. Her skin is so soft under my fingers, and with her so close, I can smell the sweetness of her skin, the faint scent of soap and the natural scent of her.
“I try.” Cora leans into my touch, her eyelids fluttering. “There’s so much pain in the world, I want to make at least some of it better.” She reaches up and entwines her fingers with mine, her warm flesh and blood hand curling around my metal one. “Like this. You were in pain, and I wanted to make it better. I wanted to heal you in any way that I could.”
“You’ve done that and more.”
I lean down to kiss her, first her forehead and then the tip of her nose, my lips grazing over her cheek before finally coming to rest on her mouth. She moans softly as I deepen the kiss, sliding my hand over her shoulder and down to her breast.
“I think you’re overdressed,” I whisper against her lips. “It might be cold on Nierra, but I can keep you warm.”
19
Druxik
Cora smiles as she shifts against me, sitting up suddenly to reach up and pull her shirt over her head. “You can keep me warm, huh? Do you promise?”
My cock responds instantly as her body comes into view. I was already half-hard just from touching her, and my shaft goes rigid as the flat expanse of her stomach is bared, then the swell of her breasts and her rosy nipples as the shirt comes over her head and is tossed aside.
Her eyes glint wickedly as she sees my stiff length tenting the blankets, and her hair tumbles over her shoulders in soft brown waves as she reaches to pull the blanket back.
“Mmm,” she whispers softly, her eyes drifting over my muscled, nude body as it’s revealed to her. She’s seen me naked countless times over the past days, but the expression on her face is as hungry as if she’s taking me in for the first time.
She leans forward, her hands on my face as she kisses me hard, her tongue sweeping into my mouth as she reaches down to trail her fingers over my chest.
“You’re so handsome,” she whispers, her lips drifting over the sensitive skin of my throat, making me moan. Then she draws back a little to look me in the eyes. “I don’t think I ever told you this, but the day we ran into each other in the corridor—the day the mate bond sparked, and the day…”
Her voice trails off, her gaze dropping to my robotic arm. She trails her fingertips over the silver metal, and despite the fact that she’s not touching my actual flesh, I can almost feel the warm brush of her hand.
“The reason we crashed into each other is because I was peering into the captain’s deck,” she continues. A slight flush rises in her cheeks as her lips curve in a self-deprecating smile. “I did it almost every day, walking past just to try to get a glimpse of you. Even then, even before I knew why, I was so drawn to you.”
The almost shy look she gives me makes a fresh wave of desire lash through me.
Krax, I can’t believe I almost ruined this. That I almost pushed away the woman whose soul is a perfect match for mine.
The pull of the bond was so strong that it only took days for us both to crack under the strain of attempting to deny it. But still, I will never forget those torturous days, and I’ll spend my life making sure my mate never again doubts the truth of my feelings for her.
I catch her chin between my thumb and forefinger, gazing into her eyes. “I lost a limb that day. But it was still the best day of my life. Because I gained so much more.”
Cora bites her lip, turning her head a little as she nuzzles against my hand. Then she drops her mouth to press kisses to my chest as she slowly moves downward. Her fingers trace the ridges of muscle on my abdomen, making a slow path downward.
The sight of her working her way down my body, the scent of her, arouses me more than I ever thought possible.
It takes everything in me not to grab her and roll her onto her back, thrusting myself into her until every inch of my aching cock is sheathed in her body, but there’s pleasure in this too. It’s torture watching her make her way down, kissing and touching every inch of me except for the part where I want it the most, but it’s the sweetest kind of agony.
She grins up at me as she moves between my legs, her hands sliding over my hips as she looks down at my eager cock. My hips arch up without my meaning for them to. The sight of her full, soft lips hovering an inch from my tip is too much to bear. She laughs softly when she sees my hips jerk upward. Her hands caress my inner thighs as she bends down and grazes her lips softly over my tip, her tongue flicking out to taste the moisture there.
I groan aloud, reaching up to thread my fingers through her hair. “Gods, Cora. Do that again. Oh, krax…”
“I like watching you come apart,” she whispers huskily. “Watching you lose control. And I love knowing it’s because of me.”
She bends down, dragging her tongue slowly along the length of my shaft. Pleasure shoots through my body, racing along every nerve as she wraps her hand firmly around my shaft and begins to stroke her tongue along it, letting me watch as she licks me slowly.
The sight of her tongue sliding over my cock nearly undoes me. Her blue-green eyes gaze up at me with a mischievous look in them as she coaxes me to the hardest I’ve ever been by far, my length throbbing desperately as she teases me.
At last, when I don’t think I can bear it any longer, she leans up, pursing her lips around my tip and keeping her gaze fixed on mine as she begins to slide down slowly, those full soft lips squeezing around me as she takes me into her mouth. She teased me like this a few times on the ship, but most often I was too desperate to be inside of her to let it go on for very long.
Now her free hand is pressed against my thigh, letting me know that she’s not going to let me move as I watch my cock disappear into her beautiful mouth. My groin tightens as she sinks downward to take more of me, and her hand reaches between my legs to cup my balls as her throat tightens around my shaft.
Oh gods, I’m going to come.
For a moment, I think I won’t be able to hold off. My cock jerks in her mouth as the urgency of the need to spill myself down her throat nearly overtakes me
. But I grit my teeth and hold back, gasping and moaning with pleasure as she begins to stroke me. Her lips stay wrapped around my shaft, her hand working in tandem with her mouth, bringing me to the edge again as my thighs clench and shake.
“Cora—stop… oh gods, I’m—”
Krax. I’m breathless, moaning between each word, the pleasure too great to stand any longer. This feels so deshing good, but I want to be inside her when I come. I need her enveloping me, need the sensation of claiming her, the sweet possession of this woman who is somehow entirely mine.
“Cora…”
I groan her name again, and she smiles as she releases me then slides up my body.
I reach between her legs as she hovers over me, my fingers sliding over her clit. She’s drenched with her own arousal, her soft skin hot and swollen, slick with need. I rub my thumb over her, moving it in small circles until she moans, her hips bucking forward.
“Please, Druxik!”
That soft cry is all the encouragement I need. How could I ever deny my mate anything? Grasping her hip with my other hand, I pull her downward. She whimpers as she feels me impale her, my thick length filling her tight channel.
Oh gods.
I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as my mate riding me, her face flushed and pink with desire, her hair tangled around her face as she begins to grind her hips against me. She slides up and sinks back down, giving me a view of my rigid shaft disappearing inside of her again with every rock of her hips.
Her small breasts shake slightly as she moves, her eyes wide and bright with need, and I feel her thighs tremble as I bring her closer and closer to the edge, my fingers working between her legs as she rides me faster, her hands braced against my chest.
“Oh, shit. Right there.” She gasps as she thrusts her hips against my hand, grinding down onto me as she takes every bit of my cock inside of her. Her thighs squeeze me as she comes apart, her body clenching around me with hot spasms that threaten to send me over the edge as well.
I’ve never felt anything so good, never known anything like the pleasure that washes over me when I take her. She seems made for me, her body moving in perfect tandem with mine, her gasps and cries only fueling my desire as I thrust into her. Gripping her hips with both hands, I pull her down hard onto me with each stroke, and she leans forward, her hair falling around my face as she kisses me.
The touch of her lips is what sends me over the edge.
I wrap my arm around her waist, holding her tightly as my cock swells inside her with wave after wave of my release. She shudders on top of me as she comes again too, hard on the heels of her first climax, and her tongue tangles with mine as she muffles her soft cry of pleasure against my lips.
As the last spurt of my seed fills her, I can’t breathe or think or move.
Dimly, I feel the pulse of my cock as it softens a little inside her, her body still warm around mine, wet from her climax. I want to keep her here against me forever, her skin against mine.
“That was incredible,” she whispers when we finally pry ourselves apart, snuggling into the curve of my body as she lays her head against my shoulder. “I’ve never had sex like this—ever. It seems like it just keeps getting better. Like you know my body better than I do.”
“I plan to always make you feel that way,” I tell her, kissing her hair as I close my eyes. “Soon we’ll be back on Kalix, and I intend to take a week’s leave at least, just so I can claim you properly in every room of the home we’ll have.”
“Promises, promises,” she mumbles sleepily, laughing softly.
We lapse into contented silence, and a while later, her breathing evens out as she drifts off. Not long after, I follow her.
I’ve never slept better than I do with Cora in my arms, and this night is no different. But when I’m awoken in the early morning hours by a commotion outside, my eyes snap open at the sound, my mind instantly alert.
The sound of raised voices reach my ears, and then there’s a sharp knock at the door of our pod.
Krax. What could it be?
I leap out of bed as Cora rouses behind me, glancing out the small, grimy window where the first gray light of early dawn is brightening the sky. I quickly tie on my loincloth, then strap on my sword, which has been resting against the wall. I didn’t wear it on the ship, but all of us armed ourselves before disembarking.
Leaving the bedroom, I stride to the door of the pod and open it. Zhori stands on the other side, his expression grim. Miri lets out a quiet noise from where she cowers on her cot in the corner of the dim room, the blanket pulled tightly around her.
“What is it?” I ask Zhori.
“Guards.” He shakes his head angrily, his lips twisting. “They’ve come out of nowhere, rousing the proprietor and demanding to search the place.”
“Why? What do they want? Were you able to overhear?”
He nods, glancing at the little girl behind me. “They say there’s an escaped slave being harbored here.”
20
Cora
I step out into the main room of the pod just in time to hear Zhori’s words.
Shit.
My heart leaps in my chest, my throat tightening anxiously as Druxik strides toward me with his face set.
“Get dressed quickly,” he says in a low tone, following me into the bedroom.
I threw on my tunic top already, so I step quickly into my pants, fumbling for my shoes before going back out into the living room to gather up Miri. She’s clearly frightened by all the commotion, her big eyes fixed on me as she holds her arms out for me to pick her up, but it’s clear that she’s already been toughened up by the world a good bit.
She’s not crying—not even really tearing up, although I can see a faint shimmer in her dark eyes. But her green skin has gone ashen, and she clings to me as I gather her into my arms, wrapping my coat around us both before looking at Druxik. She buries her face into the side of my neck, breathing in quick, shallow gasps, and my heart aches. No child should ever know what it’s like to be this afraid.
The other Kalixians are waiting for us in the hall when we step out, already alerted by the noise and ready for a fight. I can feel the tension brewing in the air, the anticipation of a battle. If we didn’t have a mission to complete on Nierra, I don’t doubt that they’d have already torn a swath through the guards. But if we can get out of here undetected, that’s best for our purposes.
They all nod their agreement as Druxik says as much, but I can see faint disappointment in their eyes. They’re spoiling for a fight, and I think they’d especially love to fight some of the disgusting slave traders who do business on this planet.
We slip down the hall as noiselessly as we can, trying not to alert anyone. There’s a back door that leads out into an alleyway behind the building, and it appears to be our best bet for escaping. I whisper to Miri to stay quiet as Druxik nudges the door open, and she does, pressing her lips together to keep from making a sound.
Druxik looks right and left, then nods to the rest of us.
“Come on,” he whispers.
I move to follow him, my arms wrapped tightly around Miri and my heart in my throat. But just as we step out, a squadron of guards turns down the alley, headed directly for us.
“Hide!” Druxik hisses at me, and I don’t question him or stop to argue.
I clutch Miri, dodging in the opposite direction toward a nook in the wall. There’s a pile of discarded boxes and other detritus near it, and I duck behind the pile, breathing shallowly as I pull the coat as tightly around her as I can, trying to make us both as small as possible.
The guards catch sight of the Kalixian warriors, and this time, there’s no conversation between the two groups, no veiled threats. Just angry shouts and the clash of weapons. From where I’m crouched behind the pile of rubbish, I can hear the sound of fists meeting flesh, grunts of pain and growls of fury. Miri trembles in my arms as she presses herself against me, clinging onto me as if I’m her last hope in t
he world.
The truth is, I am, and that thought terrifies me. I never really considered the reality of being a parent—of being responsible for a small, fragile person. I’m not Miri’s mother, but she’s depending on me in this moment, and every decision I make will determine whether or not that trust is well placed.
The responsibility feels heavy, and my heart beats erratically against my ribs. What if I do the wrong thing?
Footsteps near us, and I crouch down farther, shielding the little girl with my body and praying that we’ll blend in with the mess of boxes and wood. I’m hoping that if the footsteps belong to more guards, they’ll pass us by—but we’re not so lucky. Someone kicks the stack of boxes aside, revealing our hiding spot, and one of the guards laughs.
“Look, it’s the Kalixian slaf from yesterday. And the child we were looking for. I guess they were lying about it all along.”
“She’s not a Kalixian. But I bet all of those warriors had a go with her.” The guard kicks a box in my direction, sneering at me. “Think she’ll fetch a good price with the rest? Maybe we’ll get a commission for bringing her in. They can throw her in with the rest of the lot. She looks like those females the Orkun brought in.”
I don’t know what the first man called me—there must not be a direct translation—but I have a fairly good idea what it means. I glare up at the guards around us, trying not to let my fear show.
They came with reinforcements this time, and Druxik and the other Kalixians are all battling the muscular, blue-skinned aliens. There’s no one left to fight off the new arrivals, no one to save Miri and me.
I clutch her small frame tightly as one of the guards with the bony knobs on his head lunges forward and tries to snatch her up out of my arms. He succeeds in prying her loose, but Miri scratches at his face, her little nails digging into his skin as I snatch up a piece of pipe lying in the pile of trash we were hiding behind. I leap up, swinging it as hard as I can at the guard who’s holding Miri.
