by Mary Auclair
Aliena looked up to her bloodmate.
“I’m afraid,” she confessed, still gazing into his surreal, fog-colored eyes. “What if we can’t find a way to help Marmack?”
“We will,” Kamal answered without smiling, his expression serious. “We will find a transport, send word to Prime Councilor Aav, and destroy Minister Knut once and for all.”
“What about the humans, my uncle Markus?” Fear was taking hold of her, pushing the memory of the erotic pleasures far away. “What if he kills them?”
Kamal moved fast, and before she could do anything, he was on top of her. His hand cradled her cheek and his face took on a savage, wild expression.
“I swear to you on the bond that links us,” he said, “I won’t rest until I find your uncle and the rest of your people. Or die trying.”
Kamal took possession of her mouth. His kiss was fire and fury, pushing her lips open, exploring her mouth with his tongue as his seed stem grew against her stomach, already wanting more of her.
His words filled her mind and she answered the kiss. His hands ran over her body, closing around her breasts, making her whimper under his touch. A hot, wet need pooled between her legs and she pressed herself against him, wanting more contact, more of his hard flesh, as she knew just how much pleasure he could give.
Kamal freed her mouth and closed his lips over her neck, kissing, nipping and licking as he placed himself at her entrance. He paused, then, when she closed her legs around his hips, pushed down completely until he was fully inside her.
She put her hands flat against his chest and pushed.
Kamal pulled away and locked eyes with her, his pulsing sex still inside her, a look of confusion on his face.
“Lie on your back for me.” She smiled to reassure him. “Please.”
Kamal looked at her a few more seconds, then withdrew and did as she asked. Aliena wasted no time and soon, she was on top of him, her legs parted on either side of his hips as she held his large, heavy sex between her hands.
They kept looking into each other’s eyes as she lowered himself onto him, feeling each exquisite inch of his sex stretch her walls, fill her like no other ever could. She started to move, pulling herself up until his sex was almost out, then moving back down. Kamal watched, his face displaying his emotions as he lay on his back, relinquishing control to her. His hands moved over her body freely, from her breasts, to her waist and her ass.
As pleasure built inside her, she moved harder, faster. Then, following blind instinct, she reached behind her and took his seed sack between her fingers. It was hard and tight, and the contact made her even more aroused.
Kamal gasped and moved his hips, pumping inside her as his own pleasure raged. His hand reached between them, and his thumb found her clit.
He pressed on the delicate nub, sending a flood of sensation straight to her brain.
She cried out as her climax took over and Kamal followed, pushing into her, holding her hips with his other hand. His release came, and as his seed spilled inside her, she came again, even before the first orgasm could end.
Aliena cried out her pleasure for a long time, as Kamal’s own roar died down.
Then she collapsed on top of him, panting and depleted. Kamal’s hand left her clit and rested on her back, caressing her skin lazily.
“Now I feel like sleeping.” Aliena chuckled, feeling sleep coming over her.
Kamal kissed her, his arms closing around her naked body, wrapping her in a cocoon of warmth and safety. She felt herself relaxing, falling to the lure of sleep.
As darkness invaded the sky and her mind, she thought of the day ahead, filled with the promise of death.
Death lay ahead, yes, but tonight—tonight, she was safe in Kamal’s arms.
Chapter 18
Kamal
Aliena snored softly in the blue light of the early dawn. He smiled, thinking how vehemently she would deny it if he told her.
Her sleep had been fitful, but at least she had slept. She needed her strength for what was to come. She’d already displayed more endurance than he ever thought possible for such a fragile being. He reached for her, pushing a heavy lock of hair away from her face.
“Time to rise up, Little Bird.” Kamal placed a kiss on her forehead. “We need to move before the light comes up fully.”
Aliena moved and groaned unhappily. She frowned, then her eyes shot up, no trace of sleepiness in her dark, dark irises.
“How far are we?” she asked as she pulled up to a sitting position, instantly grabbing her clothes and putting them on with fast, efficient motions.
“About three hours from here.”
She stood up, her face fierce and full of determination. “I’m ready.”
“I can see that.” Kamal stood up in front of her, then held her upper arms in his hands. “But we still have to assess the dangers. I’m not going to let you run in there, all hot headed, with a single ionic blade in your pretty hands. You’re going to have to trust me.”
Aliena turned to him, her face serious. Those dark eyes took in what he said, then she nodded.
He reached into his pocket, then tossed another packet of food at her. Aliena deftly caught it, then drank the sludge. When she was finished, she went to the stream to drink more water.
He studied her, that small, defenseless female who had carved his heart like clay, made him unable to think of a life without her. And he knew it wasn’t only because of the physical link that made him crave her body, needed her to be close to him. He admired everything about her; her quick, sharp mind, her courage that defied all logic. Everything.
Yet, he was ready to break that courageous, fierce heart of hers to keep her safe, if it ever came to that. But hopefully, it wouldn’t.
He checked the scanning device for their position and, satisfied that they were at a safe distance, began to walk, Aliena in tow.
After only two hours, they stopped on the edge of a steep cliff. Kamal crouched down on the outcrop of rocks. Aliena crawled to his side.
A few hundred feet below, on the other side of a medium sized river, was the building the short-range scanner had displayed. It was a square box made of a composite of concrete and metal, linked at a molecular level to yield one of the strongest—and most expensive—building materials known to the Ring.
“This building is made of Allevial,” Kamal said as Aliena looked down at the simple rectangular structure. “It’s virtually impenetrable.”
“Good thing we’re not looking to blow it up,” Aliena answered. “It’s too far to see if there are guards, doors. We should go closer.”
“It’s too far for human eyes to tell, yes,” he answered smoothly, noticing the way she lifted her brow at him. “There are two doors that I can see, and two Ilarian guards per door, armed with ionic guns. No way to know how many are inside, but we can be sure there are at least twice as many, even for a building as strong as this.”
“Whatever he’s keeping behind those walls, Knut really wants it kept safe.”
Kamal nodded, then crawled back under the cover of the vegetation, Aliena following a few seconds behind.
“We’ll cross the river a hundred feet upstream, then approach from the back. You are to stay close to me at all times.”
“You bet your blue ass I will.”
Kamal chuckled, then pulled her close. He kissed her, savoring the softness of her lips under his, the feminine smell of her breath. Then he pulled away, and they made their way down the slope to the river bed. He chose a point where the vegetation was dense to offer cover from the guards’ eyes. He knew the guards were Ilarian, Minister Knut’s first choice for his protection and the protection of his property, but even Ilarian guards were bound to become complacent with such an assignment. This was Aveyn, Knut’s personal planet, where no enemies were bound to have landed in living memory. Any guard working there was likely bored out of his mind, and not as attentive to detail—such as surveying the upstream river—as he should be. Kamal
would bet his family’s honor that the guards barely scanned the surrounding forest once a day.
Still, he would be cautious in his approach, and the river was perfect to hide their heat signature from the scanners, should Knut have equipped the building with automatic scanners and alert systems.
“We will swim up to the building.” Kamal spoke quietly for fear of voice recognition patterns installed in the surrounding jungle. “It is the best way to avoid the scanners.”
“The water is too cold,” Aliena answered, concern clear on her face. “I’m a good swimmer, but I won’t be able to go on for that long.”
“Hold on to my back. I will swim, and the heat from my body will keep you from getting hypothermia.”
Aliena made a face, looking at the water with resentful eyes, but she nodded.
He set out for the water, entering the freezing river with Aliena right behind him. As she slid into its cold embrace, she gave a series of small, choked sounds and let go a stream of whispered words that would make the hair stand up on the arms of any good, well-mannered female on Eokim. It made him smile.
She walked through the water, her teeth already chattering, and wrapped her arms around his neck, then wound her legs around his waist, trusting him completely as he started to swim, helped by the treacherous current that made their speed as much a threat as an asset. After only a few minutes, he labored toward the shore, Aliena still holding fast to his back.
As he reached the shelter of a large tree overlooking the water, Aliena grabbed a branch and made her way to the muddy bank. Her skin was livid, her lips a bluish purple, and she shivered so violently, he was scared she might collapse, but she didn’t.
She shed her wet synthetic leather coat, revealing the alluring tank top, which clung to her body like a second skin, but kept her pants and boots on.
“We are directly beneath the first door,” Kamal told her as he reached her, then started to rub her arms and back vigorously, bringing back color to her golden, rich honey skin. “You stay here while I disarm the guards.”
Aliena stared at him for a while, her dark eyes unreadable.
“We’re a team, remember?” She pursed her lips, which were still a bit purple, but fast returning to normal. “I’m not going to get in the way, but I’m not going to sit this one out either. Plus, I’ll have your back if anything goes south.”
“Two Ilarian guards hardly makes for a challenge.” Kamal grinned. “I’ll be more efficient if I know you’re not in harm’s way.”
Aliena made a face. She exhaled, then nodded.
“Fine, but if there’s any trouble, I’ll be there, whether you want it or not.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He kissed her still cold lips, then turned and crept toward the eerily silent building.
Aliena
Kamal’s frame disappeared, and she crouched on the wet ground. She knew it was the best option, allowing Kamal to kill the guards by himself, but she still felt restless. She held on to each sound from the jungle, each branch cracking, each creature screaming.
After a few long minutes, Aliena got to her feet, still half-crouched where Kamal had left her.
Something was wrong. It shouldn’t be taking so long.
Aliena reached down to where the ionic blade lay against her hip, then took the weapon between trembling fingers. She forced saliva down her closed throat, then pressed the indentation. The blade came to life with a clean humming sound, its energy traveling up her arm, terror and anticipation coursing through her body along with the incredible power of the blade.
She made her way toward the tall gray building, whose walls reflected the light as if they were made of metal and not stone. As she approached, fear crawled inside her mind. She was afraid for herself, that was true, but in this moment, her only concern was for him, that tall blue alien who had stolen her heart. It didn’t matter that Kamal was the scariest beast ever born in the Ring, and that he was more lethal than a squadron of Ilarian guards armed to the teeth. She was scared shitless for him. She couldn’t imagine a world without him—tall and strong, unbearably bossy.
Finally, she lay down on her stomach under a large plant, whose leaves were big enough to camouflage her entire body. There, just a few dozen feet in front of her, was the doorway Kamal had seen from the other side of the river. It was dark and silent, its metallic door hanging halfway open.
Cold spread over her like a second skin, and the sound of blood rushing through her veins drowned out the noise of the river.
Where is he?
She remained crouched down as she walked up to the door. On the ground lay two limp forms, clad in the white uniforms of the Ilarian guards, their faces slack and their eyes unseeing, a growing pool of blood spreading under their bodies. Red. Everywhere she looked, it seemed like the color spread and grew until it was all she could see. Red on the pure green of the grass, red on the white of the uniforms, red on the throats of the guards, where a tangle of mangled flesh still oozed with the live-giving fluid.
Her vision blurred and she braced herself against the wall, its warm surface surprisingly smooth under her palm. The sight made her want to puke.
Now is not the moment to pussy out, she mentally shouted to herself. You’re better than that.
She inhaled, and the coppery, metallic stench of blood invaded her nostrils, threatening to push her over the edge. Her stomach cramped but she forced herself to concentrate, and soon the smell of the forest covered the stench of death. Greens and earth brushed to the surface and, in the distance, the pure smell of water covered up the smell of blood, piss, and shit from the dead Ilarian guards.
She poured iron into her bones, down her spine and willed the nausea down to a bearable level. She couldn’t afford to be weak.
Aliena walked to the door, pausing for a second at the darkness inside, then stepped in.
The bodies were the first thing her eyes latched on to. Two more, lying on the ground in that same bloodcurdling stillness, but facing the ground this time. It was good, in a way—she didn’t think she could have handled seeing those blank stares again.
She stepped closer, tearing her eyes away from the limp form of one of the Ilarian guards, looking into the almost complete darkness at the end of the hallway. It was strikingly similar to the Breeding Facility back on Earth, with stark, gray walls and aseptic surfaces.
It’s all on you, Aliena thought, remembering the disdain on Knut’s face, the heartless way he’d left them all to die. But no more. I’ll end you if it’s the last thing I do.
The rage that filled her veins at the thought was enough to push the fear down to nothing more than background noise in the back of her head.
One step, then two.
A hand closed over her mouth and an arm wrapped around her waist. Aliena screamed and kicked, but it was too late. She was in a prison made of hard muscle, and soon her body was pressed against the too smooth walls.
“Hush, Little Bird.” Kamal’s voice penetrated the thick wall of panic. “There are more of them, but we’re safe for now. We have at least a few minutes before the alarm is given. We need to locate the communications room and stop a distress signal to Knut’s forces in that time.”
Her heart slowly settled to a fast rhythm instead of a frenzied stampede, and she nodded. Kamal turned away from her and walked briskly down a darkened hallway. Without losing a second, Aliena walked in his footsteps, the ionic blade humming its deadly song in her hands.
More bodies, more blood. It stained everywhere she looked. Four more Ilarian guards lay on the ground, one still gurgling as Kamal stepped over him to the control panel at the back of the room. His fingers ran over the panel, and soon a screen displayed strange writing she could not read.
“I’ve blocked any future distress signals to Knut.” Kamal didn’t turn to face her. “He will never know we’re here.”
“But we need to send a signal to Prime Councilor Aav. She needs to know what Knut did.”
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“It’s the best I can do until Tailan can take over.” This time, he shot her a quick glance over his shoulder. “She’ll be able to restore what we need without allowing Knut to get his hands on our communication.”
Aliena came to stand at his side, then looked down on the ionic blade. With a lift of her brows, she powered it off, then slid it back in its holster. “How many guards are left?”
“I can only see six, but there may be more.” Kamal looked up as a screen changed, and then a deafening silence blanketed the room.
Aliena stared, her face going cold and numb. Her hand trembled as she reached for the cold surface, running her fingers over the indifferent images.
“How many?”
“Thirty, maybe forty,” Kamal said after a few seconds. “It’s hard to count the children.”
Her eyes locked on to the small figures, ones she hadn’t noticed before. They clung to their mothers and fathers, hiding terrified faces in the synthetic cotton uniforms all of them wore. Aliena didn’t recognize any of them.
“Do you see your people in there?” Kamal asked her.
“My uncle is not in there. None of the men from my village are.” She stifled her impulse to punch something. “But these are my people anyway. We have to save them.”
“We don’t have time for a large scale rescue mission.” Kamal turned to her. “We will come back for them.”
“No.” Aliena shook her head. “I will not leave a room full of innocent people behind to a possible life of slavery. Not when I can give them a fighting chance.”
Kamal held her gaze for a long time. His face showed his internal fight between his desire to save his friends and his need to keep her safe. Then he tilted his head in her direction. That was all the okay she was ever going to get.
“First we take care of the guards, then we’ll free the humans. No sense in putting more people in harm’s way.”
Since she had nothing to add to that, Aliena simply nodded. The people in the room weren’t trained in combat, didn’t know how to use weapons, even less so against Ilarian guards.
