Dark Flight (Refuge Book 2)

by Cynthia Sax

  “They?” Orol echoed that word also.

  Dita held up three fingers and grinned.

  Three. They were having three children. Rhea pressed her palms against her stomach. The fluttering hadn’t been fear. She was pregnant.

  Pregnant. With three babies.

  She sagged against Orol. He held her, both of them rendered speechless by the news.

  “Your mother did care for you, Rhea.” Kralj’s voice flowed behind him as he walked away from them, shortening his stride to match his tiny mate’s. “She and your father could have escaped. They had time to do that. Instead, they met the Humanoid Alliance warriors, distracting them while you and your sister fled.”

  The couple vanished into the shadows. The beings below them, those outside the walls, resumed moving. Rhea’s world spun.

  Her parents had loved her. They’d utilized one of their last actions to express that love. Actions didn’t lie. Rhea gazed at Orol. He loved her also, had voluntarily given up his freedom to be with her. Her sister was safe. They were safe.

  “We’re having babies.” Orol beamed at her, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

  Babies. Plural. “You’ve had your flying restricted for two solar cycles.” Yet he was happy, radiating with joy.

  “We’ve had our flying restricted and we should stay close to the settlement.” He threw her into the air. She squeaked. He caught her. “We’re having babies.”

  Orol jumped off the edge of the wall, not looking before he leapt with her. Rhea clung to her clearly ecstatic mate as they plummeted. He spread his wings and they sailed upward.

  “We’re having babies,” he yelled.

  “Fuck you,” a Humanoid Alliance warrior yelled back.

  Orol laughed, flying with her high into the blue sky, twirling, dancing in the breeze. His joy was infectious. Her laughter joined his.

  They spun, the wind plucking at her hair, her garments. The world swirled around them.

  Rhea flung her arms behind her, trusting Orol to hold her, to never let her fall. She embraced the happiness bubbling within her. Her sister was safe. Rhea loved and was loved, had a male, would have children, and she could be herself. She didn’t have to pretend to be someone she wasn’t.

  “I love you.” She shouted that truth into the universe.

  “Fuck you.” The Humanoid Alliance warrior cursed her also.

  She glared at the grumpy male. He was a cloud in their clear skies. “Can I shoot him?”

  “Unfortunately, no.” Orol’s chest shook with the force of his mirth. “We’re responsible for the beings inside the walls, not outside.”

  And his flying would be limited. “That place where the Humanoid Alliance ships were stopped? Was that the edge of your boss’ territory?”

  “Slightly inside it.” Orol nodded. “The terrain is flat, covered with sand, perfect for learning to fly.”

  Learning to fly. “Our children will have wings.”

  “Modified humanoid genes are designed to be dominant.” His expression was smug. “I hope they’ll have your eyes, your hair, your beautiful face, but they’ll have my wings, nanohumanics, eventually talons.”

  “I hope they look like you.” Rhea touched her stomach, envisioning tiny, chubby-cheeked Orols, their baby cries, their little wings. “They’ll be adorable.”

  “You said that. I didn’t.” He laughed.

  Rhea batted his arm. “That last comment wasn’t about you. All babies are adorable.”

  “Our babies will be even more so.” His continued happiness reassured her. Their children would never wonder if their parents loved them. Orol would safeguard them as closely as he safeguarded her and her sister.

  “Take me to the medic bay.” She should check on Paloma.

  “That’s a great idea, mate.” Orol changed direction so abruptly Rhea gasped. “The medic can give us a visual of our babies. The other warriors will wish to see them.”

  He wished to see them. And she did also. “Will you be this enthusiastic the entire pregnancy?”

  “Yes.”

  Rhea smiled. She loved him so much.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Our babies are adorable.” Orol carried the private viewscreen with him as they left the medic’s chambers. “This one looks like you.” He showed his mate.

  “Our babies are the size of grains of sand.” Her practical words were belied by the joy in her eyes. His tiny warrior was as excited as he was. “They don’t look like anyone.”

  They walked into the chamber her sister occupied. Balvan stood by the doors, his gaze fixed on the female on the sleeping support, his expression almost doting.

  “Balvan, doesn’t this baby look like my mate?” Orol used their debate as an excuse to share the image with his friend. “The other two look like me.”

  Balvan grinned but said nothing, staying neutral on the subject.

  “The medic said our babies are identical.” His mate sat in the chair beside her sister’s sleeping support. She took the girl’s hand. “They should all look the same.” She gazed at her sister’s face. Paloma’s eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open. “How are you doing, Paloma?”

  The girl didn’t answer.

  “Your medic said you’ll have a full recovery.” Rhea rubbed the girl’s fingers. “You merely need rest.”

  His female would be a great mother, loving, patient, protective, fierce. “I’m a fortunate warrior.”

  “You are.” Balvan pounded him enthusiastically on the shoulder, the impact jarring Orol. “You have a mate, a sister, three babies on the way. I’m glad I saved your life those six times.”

  The count had increased by one. Balvan had added his most recent assistance to the tally. Orol eyed him. “You don’t have to mention that every time we speak.”

  “I should do more than mention it.” The big male’s eyes gleamed. “I should give you all the details so when our three new warriors ask to hear about their father’s exploits, I can tell those stories perfectly.”

  “Don’t forget your two new sisters.” Rhea contributed. “We want to hear those stories too.”

  Orol groaned. “There are better stories to tell.”

  “But not more amusing stories.” Balvan chuckled. “Remember when you got sucked into that air vent? You went in headfirst, were stuck deep in it. All I could see were your little boots kicking and—”

  “Rhea.” Paloma woke, thankfully redirecting everyone’s attention.

  “I’m here.” Rhea leaned closer. “Don’t worry.”

  Orol gave the private viewscreen to Balvan, crossed the chamber to stand behind his female, placing both of his hands on her shoulders, signaling his support.

  He was there for her. Always.

  Paloma’s eyes were dazed, unfocused. “I had the strangest dream. There were these ugly purple males and then everything went blank for a while. A giant green male carried me out of the darkness. He was really primitive looking.” She smiled. “You know I like primitive males.”

  “You do.” Rhea’s lips twitched.

  Orol glanced at Balvan. His face was the brightest shade of green Orol had ever seen. The big male was embarrassed.

  “You were flying high in the sky with a winged male. He was so pretty.”

  Balvan sniggered. Orol stifled a groan, envisioning an endless lifespan of being called pretty by the warriors he led.

  “He loved you. I saw that in his eyes. And you were happy and I knew everything would be all right.” Paloma’s eyes closed once more. “And we are all right, aren’t we?”

  “We are,” Rhea assured her. “Sleep and we’ll talk more when you’re rested.”

  “Yes.” Her sister’s breathing leveled.

  “She doesn’t remember anything about the mining fields,” Rhea whispered.

  “She doesn’t have to know about that.” Orol decided. “We won’t tell her.”

  “The other males won’t say a word.” Balvan gazed at the female the same way he looked at the small crea
tures he rescued. The big male had appointed himself as Paloma’s protector.

  “Even if they said something to Paloma, she wouldn’t believe them.” Rhea petted the girl’s hands. “She has always seen only what she wants to see.” She looked up at Orol. “Though I was happy when I was flying with you.”

  “I love you.” Orol squeezed her shoulders.

  “Not this again.” Balvan rolled his eyes. “I’ll take a walk, allow you to talk in private.” He lumbered out of the chambers, still carrying the private viewscreen.

  “He isn’t leaving to give us privacy.” Orol frowned at the big male’s retreating back. “He’s running off to show everyone the images of our babies.” That task should belong to him, the father.

  “You will have other images to show your friends.” Rhea patted his hands.

  There would be other images. Orol planned to track their babies’ progress closely, not missing one moment of their development. They’d visit the medic every planet rotation.

  Because they were having babies. His grin returned.

  Orol stood behind his mate as she fussed over her sleeping sister, adjusting the covering cloth, tidying her hair, cleansing her skin. Rhea relayed stories of their childhood, provided nourishment-infused beverage when the girl woke, tended to her personal needs.

  When his female’s shoulders sagged and her words slowed, Orol lifted her out of her chair, claimed the seat for himself, and cradled Rhea against him. She slept. He maintained watch.

  Moments passed.

  Rhea opened her beautiful eyes and smiled at him. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” Orol smiled back at her.

  She glanced at her sister. “She didn’t wake?”

  “No.” He would have alerted her if Paloma had awakened.

  “Hmmm…” Rhea stretched out her arms, arched her back, wiggled her ass against his painfully hard leather-encased cock. “Orol.” She gasped, freezing in place. “Not here.” She looked adorably flustered.

  “Should I leave again?” Balvan filled the doorway.

  “Yes.”

  “No.” Orol contradicted his blushing mate. “We need to take a break.” Before his balls exploded.

  “We can’t.” Rhea shifted in his lap, tormenting him more. “My sister might wake up. She’ll be scared if she’s alone and—”

  “She won’t be alone.” Balvan entered the chamber. “I’ll stay with your sister. She remembers me, won’t be scared to see me here. Especially as I’ll have this with me.”

  He turned his wrists and opened his big fists. A white ball of fluff with dark eyes purred happily in one of his palms. One of its barely visible legs had gauze wrapped around it.

  “Awww…” Rhea’s face softened. “Is that a puffker? They’re impossible to find on our home planet.” She made kissy noises at it. “Because you’re so cute and everyone wants you. Don’t they? Oh, yes, they do.”

  The tiny creature had reduced Orol’s warrior female to goo.

  “Her name is Sparkles.” Orol scooped his mate into his arms and stood, eager to put those lips of hers to better use.

  Balvan scowled. “That’s not the creature’s name.”

  He slapped the big male’s shoulder, a silent thank you for returning, for volunteering to take a shift at Paloma’s side. “It needs a name.” He walked, carrying Rhea, toward the door. “Paloma might be able to help you settle on one.”

  “She’d like that.” His mate beamed.

  “As long as that name isn’t Sparkles,” Balvan grumbled.

  Orol and Rhea laughed as they exited the chamber. The warrior was disgusted with the name.

  “Balvan has adopted my sister as one of his many causes, hasn’t he?” Rhea snuggled against him.

  “He has.” Orol suspected his friend would dote over their children also. The big male had a soft spot for anything small and helpless.

  They left the medic bay and he instinctively looked upward. The sun shone overhead. The sky remained clear. He breathed in. They needed the fresh air.

  He needed physical activity. Orol repositioned his female so her small body was aligned with his larger form, her booted feet dangling above the ground. “Do you want to fly?”

  “We can’t go far,” she murmured against his throat.

  She was right. They had to stay within Kralj’s territory. “It will be a short flight.”

  “It could be a long flight over a short distance.” Her lips moved along his skin. “And we could do more than fly.”

  She wanted to mate with him. Orol’s cock pressed against his leather ass coverings. “We’ll do much more than fly.” He would ravish her until she screamed his name.

  Orol bent his knees and pushed off, propelling them into the sky. Warm air rushed over their bodies, made his female’s long hair ripple. Exhilaration filled him. He was flying with the being he loved. There was no experience equal to that.

  Except mating. And he hoped to do that soon.

  Rhea unfastened his chest covering, dragged her lips over every exposed part of him, touching, caressing him, making his feathers flutter and his fingers tingle. He squeezed her ass. She wiggled against him, the scent of her arousal swirling around them, taunting him, teasing him.

  He flew higher, rubbing her form along his. It wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. Orol extended the talons on his right hand. “Stay still.” Curving his other hand under her lush ass, supporting her weight, he carefully ran the deadly tips over her garment, shredding the outer fabric and the protective armor underneath. The strips floated to the ground.

  He retracted his talons. She released her breath.

  “I’d never hurt you.” Orol smacked his lips against her forehead. She was everything to him.

  “I wasn’t scared. I was turned on.” She yanked on his ass coverings. His cock, hot and hard, escaped its confines, undaunted by the cooler air.

  He slid her mons along his shaft. Rhea parted her legs, giving him access to her. Her warm wet folds connected with his cock and he groaned, bliss cascading over him.

  She wrapped her legs around him and undulated, setting off tremors within him, making his heart pound and his wings beat faster. Her musk intensified, her pussy juices dripping between his balls.

  He wound her hair around his fist and pulled her head back. She gasped. Orol captured her lips, surged into her mouth, tasting her sweetness, claiming that terrain now and forever. She was his mate, the love of his long lifespan, the mother of their offspring, and he worshipped her with his tongue, his chest, his cock.

  Every opportunity he had, he would show his doubting female he loved her, rising to that challenge again and again, ensuring she never questioned his feelings. He had killed for her, would die for her, didn’t want to contemplate a future without her. She held his darkness at bay, filled his moments with adventure, with joy.

  He mouthed over her neck, nipping at her skin.

  “Mate with me, Orol.” She gripped his shoulders. “Put that big cock of yours inside me.”

  “I put my babies inside you.” The knowledge that she carried his three sons stimulated him to the point of pain.

  “They are our babies.” She pushed back like she always did, giving him the opposition he constantly sought and had never found before he’d met her. “And my pussy is still empty.”

  “You need me.” It thrilled him that his normally silent mate expressed her need.

  “I want you.” She challenged him as no one else could. “I don’t need anyone.”

  He loved that, loved that she chose to be with him. “You want me.” Orol raised her higher against his body, probing her pussy with his cock, finding her tight little entrance. “Only me.”

  He drove her down on him.

  She squeaked. “Only you.” Her admission pleased him. “I want only you.”

  And he wanted only her. Her softness encompassed him. Her musk filled his lungs. Gold shone from her eyes, her skin glowing.

  “You have me.” He lifted her until only his tip w
as inside her. She tensed. He dropped her. They both moaned.

  He lifted her, paused, dropped her, lifted her, paused, dropped her. His wings sliced through the air to the same tempo. They climbed higher in the sky as his need for her spiraled upward.

  Rhea panted, digging her fingernails into his shoulders, the pain heightening his arousal. He focused on her, on their mating, while continuing to monitor their surroundings, searching for threats, seeking to protect her.

  Pressure formed low on his spine. His balls ached. She smacked her bootheels against his clenched ass, a silent plea to rut with her faster, harder.

  He complied, driving her down on him, the impact shaking her body, drawing gasps from her lips. Her inner walls constricted around his shaft.

  “Mine.” Orol impaled her onto his hard cock again and again. Her breasts jiggled, her nipples taut against his chest. The sun’s rays lit the gold in her hair. The beads of sweat on her skin glistened.

  She was molten metal flowing over him, surrounding him with warmth and wetness, so beautiful he almost questioned if she was real. He worried she’d stream between his fingers, drop like rain onto the rooftops below them.

  “Orol.” Her voice was husky with passion, his name on her lips titillating him. “Orol.” Her cry grew louder.

  “Yes.” He clenched his jaw, struggling for control. “Tell everyone who has you, who is inside you, who loves you.” Warriors would know she was his, would hear his claim on her.

  “Orol.” She arched her back, tilting her beautiful face toward the sun. Her lips parted. Her eyes were dazed with lust. “Orol.”

  Every call of his name pushed him closer to the precipice, to the long drop of release. His muscles flexed tight, fighting it, anticipating it. She felt so good; he didn’t ever want to leave her body, their connection more than physical, eclipsing everything he’d ever known, ever experienced.

  The air thinned, cooled. They were higher above the ground than he usually soared.

  Rhea breathed harder. “Orol.” She trembled like a feather in the wind, her face reflecting her strain.

  He was causing her pain by delaying her fulfillment. “Fly with me, Tiny Warrior.” He drove her down on him. “Fly.”