by Tana Stone
She leaned over and kissed me, nipping my bottom lip as she pulled away. “The art of patience.”
I grunted and huffed out a breath. “That is not one of my many skills.”
“I know.” She faced me with her hands on her hips. “But just think how much sweeter it will be after you’ve had to wait. Anticipation can be exciting.” She cut her eyes to the door. “Just as exciting as having a secret affair.”
I reached for her, but she danced out of my way. “And what if I don’t wish to keep you secret?”
Her lips curved down for a moment. “You know what this place is like.” She hoisted herself onto the windowsill. “Besides, sneaking around is what we do, right?”
Then she disappeared out the window.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ch 27
Corvak
“Any word yet?” I strode into the communications hub, my gaze alighting instantly on Kerl as he stood at a dingy console. Since I’d come from the bright light outside, my eyes took a moment to adjust to the cave. Even though I’d only taken a few steps out of the blazing, mid-day suns, the cool interior made the sweat chill instantly on my skin. I rubbed my arms, my boots slapping the stone as I walked toward the alien, who had yet to turn at my approach.
The Kimitherian had his beige cloak pulled down low so that only his elongated jaw flashed greenish blue in the dimly lit room. He swiveled his eyes to me, shaking his head. “No response. You are certain the encrypted channel is being monitored?”
It had been two standard rotations since the imperial scouting ship had landed on the planet, and I’d killed the soldiers aboard it. Two rotations since I’d been shot and recovered, and almost as much time since I’d made Sienna mine. My pulse quickened as I thought about the human female who’d been sneaking into my quarters ever since. I never knew when I would return to my quarters and find her there, or if I would wake to her slipping into bed beside me.
“The ships might not be in range,” I said, shaking off thoughts of Sienna before I had to concern myself with getting a throbbing erection in front of the alien elder. “They do patrol this sector, though, so we should continue to send the message.”
Kerl made a strange noise in his throat, but I’d become accustomed to the unusual Kimitherian sounds. “I am more concerned by the lack of communication from the empire.”
My gut clenched. Since the attack, there had been no additional scouting ships sent to the planet, and no communications regarding their missing ship and soldiers. At my urging, we’d moved the Zagrath ship from sight and disabled the tracking devices placed inside it, but that wouldn’t keep the empire away forever. Especially if they were intent in their plan to establish a garrison.
“We should assume that they are coming,” I told the alien. “The Zagrath never back down if they have a vested interest.” And the possibility of immortality was definitely what they would consider a vested interest.
“What will we do?” Kerl turned from the console, holding his hands together in front of him so his voluminous cloak made a single unbroken sleeve that encompassed both. “Our fighters are not ready for another encounter.”
They hadn’t been ready for the first one, I thought. As hard as I’d drilled them, I couldn’t instill a warrior’s thirst for battle, or bravery in the face of danger. Especially when the planet had been peaceful for so long and didn’t even allow its residents weapons. None of my trainees had been comfortable with the violence that came so naturally to me.
“If only your planet had some sort of weapons,” I said, rocking back on my heels and tipping my head back to stare at the rock ceiling. Even though I’d never entered the planet’s communications hub before we’d been forced to send out a message on an encrypted channel, I’d been making the long walk away from the village to the hidden cave several times a day since then. Tucked away near the planet’s only official landing pad, the dank space held basic communication technology that would have been considered rudimentary for a Vandar ship. But when you were trying to hide a secret about your planet, off-world communication wasn’t a big priority.
Kerl eyed me, then let out a raspy breath that echoed off the arched walls and ceiling. “Has anyone told you the story of Kimithion III?”
I folded my arms in front of my chest. “I know little about your home world.”
Even as I said this, I felt a twinge of embarrassment. I’d been living on the planet for nearly two cycles of their moons, yet I knew very little about the place, or those who called it home. I only knew that the native Kimitherians like Kerl had welcomed a small group of human refugees a few hundred rotations ago and the two groups had coexisted peacefully.
He gave a single nod of his head, his unblinking yellow eyes fixed on me. “As you might know, my species is native to the planet. Our biology is uniquely adapted to the arid climate and heat of two suns. It is said we evolved from the shallows, which is why we draw so much sustenance from it now.”
I nodded. I’d tasted enough of the seaweed and kelp-based food to know that the Kimitherians loved anything that came from the planet’s shallow turquoise waters. Some of the dishes had grown on me, but I still craved the savory taste of grilled meat. Even the memory of a joint of meat with a brown, crackling skin made my stomach grumble.
Kerl ignored the rumble of my gut. “What you do not know is that we were not always so peaceful. Long ago, there were two tribes of Kimitherians that stretched far across the lands and occupied much more than just the village here and the cave dwellings. But the two tribes could not live in peace. There were battles over access to the shallows, and even over the best mountains to use for living.”
I lifted both eyebrows. It was difficult to imagine the placid aliens even raising their voices, much less fighting. “I take it these battles did not end well?”
Kerl’s scaled lips became a pale line. “They did not. Eventually, war decimated both tribes. Our population was reduced to the point of near extinction. It was only then that we realized our mistakes and resolved not to fight. Our elders instituted strict rules on behavior and aggression, and over the generations we evolved to have no aggressive instincts. The blood rage that had dominated our planet and almost destroyed our species had been eliminated.”
“That does explain a lot.” Like the fact that none of the males had a single fighting instinct in their bodies. “I’m assuming the humans who joined you were also given the same rules.”
“They were. When we received the distress call from a ship of human refugees, we were still rebuilding our society. We’d eliminated hostility, but we had also stripped out innovation and ingenuity. We needed new energy and we also needed new skills in our community. The humans brought with them engineers and crafters and artists—things we’d lost. Together we have built a community that is thriving, yet safe.”
I bristled at the word safe. In my experience, safety was an illusion. The residents of Kimithion III had believed themselves to be safe for a long time, but one slip had brought danger to their door.
“It must have been a challenge to accept a Vandar into your idyllic world,” I said. “We are notorious for our aggression.”
Kerl’s mouth widened into a grimace. “You were needed, as was your volatile nature. We feared that we could not repel the empire without it.”
“Without some kind of planetary defenses or armaments, you will not be able to ward off the Zagrath,” I said, “Even with my volatile nature.”
“I’d hoped our males could be trained, but I see now that there isn’t time. If no one responds to our calls for help…” His words trailed off, then he straightened. “That is why I have decided to show you.”
“Show me?”
Without another word, the alien spun on his heel, his cloak flapping behind him. He strode quickly across the space, stopping and glancing back at me. He flicked the long, webbed fingers of one hand at me. “Come, Vandar.”
I followed him, closing the distance between us quickly with m
y much longer legs. Kerl shuffled around a corner I hadn’t noticed before and down a tunnel. I ducked my head as the space tightened, the scent of brine making my nose twitch. Faint luminescent flecks in the stone gave off enough light that I could make out the way forward, but it felt like we were walking down. Were we heading under the shallows?
We rounded another bend and the space opened up. Kerl fumbled on the wall, flipping a switch and illuminating the soaring ceiling. Then my jaw dropped.
“What is this?” My voice was hushed as I peered up. Shelves were carved into the stone that formed the conical-shaped underground cavern, extending almost to the top. Instead of storing food or supplies, these shelves held weapons of all kinds. Even though they looked different than the imperial blasters I was familiar with, it was apparent that they were types of blasters and bazookas. In the middle of the space, a collection of land-to-air weapons were propped on stands.
“This is where we hid all evidence of our violent past.” Kerl bowed his head slightly. “These are weapons forged by our ancient ancestors, but still just as deadly. This is what you’ll need to take on the empire and win.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ch 28
Sienna
I lay flat on the bed, trying not to wiggle and knock all the sugar off my body. Where was he? Lifting my head, I peered down at the sugary crumbs speckling my naked body. I’d thought he’d be back before nightfall, but cool air was drifting in through the windows and making my bare flesh pebble. The natural light that had poured in earlier was fading, and soon I’d be in the dark.
This was a bad idea, I thought, flopping my head back onto the pillow. What if he’d been detained talking to the village leaders? What if he didn’t come back for a long time? My heart lurched. What if the elders came back to his dwelling with him?
I shook my head gently, so my body wouldn’t move too much. No, there was no reason for any of the villagers to accompany him back to his dwelling. He’d been fully healed for days now, and the healer had ceased visiting to check up on him. Besides, no one would venture into the Vandar’s private sleeping chamber. No one but me.
My pulse fluttered as I thought about the subsequent whirlwind since Corvak had been healed. If I wasn’t working, I’d been in bed with him, and even when I had been working, I was thinking about all the things we’d done in bed. That meant more than a few inventory miscounts, and a delicious soreness between my legs.
Heat coiled in my belly as I thought about Corvak’s reaction to seeing me naked on his bed, covered in the sugary coating he loved so much on my sister’s pastries.
“I hope you’re hungry, tough guy,” I whispered, practicing the phrase once more in my most seductive voice.
Was this stupid? Being sultry didn’t come naturally to me, and a big part of me felt ridiculous trying to seduce the Vandar. Especially since I didn’t have to. Corvak didn’t require any tricks to turn him on when I was around. A closed door seemed to be the only prerequisite for him to start tearing my clothes off.
I huffed out a breath and shifted my legs. Was some of the sugar melting? Would I be washing caramelized sugar out of places I could barely reach?
Before I could investigate further, the door opened. I held my breath, listening for voices. I was pretty sure he’d be alone, but I did not want to be wrong about this. The door thudded shut and then boots were kicked off and something heavy hit the floor. My heart tripped in my chest. If he was undressing the way he usually did, that would have been his leather belt. Even imagining the Vandar warrior undressing made me inhale sharply. Which sent a crumb straight up my nose.
For a moment, I held my breath as the sugary crumb lodged in my throat. But it was no use. I started coughing, jerking up and sending the crumbs on my body flying onto the floor.
Corvak burst into the room, throwing open the door and holding his axe in front of him as if he expected to find an armed intruder. Instead, it was me, naked and gagging, covered in bits of pastry.
He lowered his axe and stared at me, his mouth dangling. “Sienna?”
I pounded a fist on my chest as I hacked. “Surprise.”
His gaze moved swiftly across my body and then to the floor that was coated in brown crackles of sugar. One eyebrow quirked up. “What are you doing?”
I finally stopped coughing, but my cheeks heated with embarrassment. So much for being a seductress. “Like I said, I was trying to surprise you.”
“By disguising yourself as a pastry?”
I shot him a look as I attempted to keep from laughing. “I was supposed to be lying down when you walked in. You’d see me covered in sugar and I’d say, ‘I hope you’re hungry’ and then…”
His eyebrows shot up so far, I feared they might disappear into his hairline. “You did this for me? To encourage me to lick you?”
My cheeks went from warm to flaming. “I thought it might be fun. I was trying to keep things interesting.”
Corvak propped his axe against the wall and joined me on the bed. “You don’t need to do anything to be interesting to me.” He touched a hand to my shoulder, and it came away covered in sticky crumbs. “Although this is certainly interesting.”
I groaned. “This is a mess. I’ll get showered and help you clean it up.”
When I tried to get up, he held me by the arms, pushing me back onto the bed. “I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” He licked some of the sugar off his fingers and made a low rumbling noise. “Sweet.” His gaze flared and slid down my body. “But still not as sweet as your delicious cunt.”
I jolted, his words startling me and making my mouth go dry. Corvak wasn’t necessarily a male of many words, but I loved it when he whispered dark and dirty ones.
“You hungry?” I asked, my voice quivering in anticipation as I attempted to salvage my sexy line.
“For you?” he growled as he leaned over me. “Always.”
He bent and dragged his tongue down my neck, stopping at the hollow of my throat to suck the tender flesh. As he licked his way down my chest, he pushed his battle kilt off and it hit the stone floor. He continued his tongue’s trail down my body without pausing, suckling each of my tight peaked nipples and making me writhe and moan.
Then he sat up and stood, his cock thick and long and jutting out from his body. My gaze was drawn to it, dark lines curling around the veined shaft that matched the swirls on his chest. As much as I’d seen it over the past few days, I still didn’t tire of staring at it—or touching it. I sat up, reached out, and closed my hand around the base, but my fingers didn’t touch. Even now, the softness of his skin was a surprise to me considering the rigidness beneath.
I eyed his cock and licked my lips. “I want a taste.”
Plucking a crumb off my own arm, I placed it on the broad crown of his cock then leaned over and swirled the tip of my tongue around it and finally closed my mouth around him to suck it off. The sweetness melted in my mouth, but what I savored most was the velvety warmth of his skin.
A groan ripped from his lips, but he shook his head. “You know I love fucking your mouth, Sienna, but first, it’s my turn.” He flicked his gaze lower. “Spread your legs for me. I need to feel you come on my tongue.”
My eyelids fluttered but I didn’t release my grip on his cock.
“Now,” he ordered in the same dominant voice he used on the training field, pushing me back on the bed.
A thrill shivered through me as I did what he commanded, spreading my legs wide for him and watching with wanton lust as he buried his head between them, his hot tongue scorching me as he flicked and sucked. When the furry tip of his tail circled my slick entrance, my eyes rolled back in my head.
“So much sweeter than sugar,” he whispered, as he started to fuck me with his tail.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ch 29
Sienna
As soon as my foot touched the floor, the light snapped on. I froze even though I’d already been caught. My only hope was that it was my sister beh
ind me and not my father.
“I knew it.”
My shoulders relaxed at the high-pitched whisper. I’d take a scolding by my younger sister any day over the drunken anger of my father. I pivoted off the sill completely and straightened. “I’m surprised you’re up so late. Don’t you need to be up soon to start baking?”
Juliette’s arms were crossed over her ample chest and one foot tapped rapidly on the floor. “I’m not up late. I’m baking. That’s how late you are.”
I swallowed hard. That meant I’d spent almost the entire night with Corvak. My face warmed at the recent memory. Not that I regretted a moment of it. “Then don’t let me keep you. I’ll just crawl into bed and—"
“Are you delusional, Sienna?” Juliette’s whisper had become a hiss as she glared at me.
I wasn’t sure what she knew, or thought she knew, but the girl wasn’t stupid. I didn’t have to look in a mirror to guess that my hair was tousled, and my cheeks scratched from the scruff on Corvak’s face.
“I know you aren’t coming home looking like that because of fighting practice,” she said. “And if I know, someone else will figure it out soon enough.”
“Let them,” I said, the night spent in Corvak’s arms giving me courage. “I don’t care who knows.”
“Really?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re happy to ruin all of us just for a few nights of fun?”
I flinched at her assessment of my situation. “This is not about a few nights of fun, and who cares if we’re ruined?” I threw my hands up. “This planet is too uptight anyway.”
She shook her head, two fiery blotches of color appearing on her cheeks. “And you think you’re going to change that? The only thing that will happen is that you’ll be ruined, the Vandar will leave, and no one will ever marry either of us. It’s bad enough that I have to deal with our father, but now you’re making a mess of everything, too.”
