He felt it then, the blaze flaring through his body to gather in his groin, spearing into his manhood, arcing from his tip and deep into Beulah’s channel. Even though the mystical fire passed through him, his heat was all his own. He watched as Beulah’s eyes snapped open and she looked directly up into his own eyes. Through the blackness of her irises, he saw the sparks of that spiritual fire, saw it flame through her.
"Oh, my God," he breathed.
Faster he moved, thrusting so deep, deeper than he’d ever believed possible. As his heat fired him, so his love for the woman beneath him flared hotly. Lovingly. A love so strong and fierce as to rival the fire of sexual arousal. Stronger even. His love for Beulah easily overpowered the fire, and he slowed down, gentling his movements enough that he could really watch her.
Tell her.
Share with her the wonders of his love.
Lowering his head, he whispered against her lips, "I love you."
"As do I you," she whispered back.
"I’ll never let you go."
"I’ll always be with you." Sliding her arms around his neck, she pressed up to him. "Always remember that."
"I’ll never forget it."
The feel of her virginal channel clasping him so slickly, so tightly, slowly fanned the embers of his desire. Combined with his love, and the spiritual fire that hadn’t left them, Sinya moved against Beulah, revelling in the textures of their bodies, of clothes on skin, skin on skin, warm breath on skin, and the sweet scent of night blossoms.
From nowhere came the rising desire to mark her as his, a primitive need to claim her in every way. He had her love, he had her body, but now he wanted her to feel him in every part of her.
He wanted to fill her with his essence.
Slipping one hand beneath her buttock, he lifted her hips, opening her more to him, and started to drive deeper. He lengthened his strokes, drawing back so far that only the tip of him was inside her, then pushing forward relentlessly until he was totally sheathed inside her.
Her heart thundered against his chest, its rhythm matching his own. A fine sheen of sweat was on both their brows. He felt her muscles tighten, and groaned blissfully at the dragging on his staff. Now she gripped him so tightly, he had to work himself in and out of her, pushing and dragging so much he felt like he was going to burst.
Sinya moved faster, harder, holding her body tight to him with one hand. Dropping his head, he sucked her nipple into his mouth and drew hard, matching the rhythm of his hips. With each surge into her, he drew hard on the small bud, pebble hard, in his mouth.
Beulah shuddered beneath him, her moans filling the air. Sexy moans, carnal moans, his name a whisper of desire on her lips.
The hot sensation of sex and love, of closeness and sharing, surged through Sinya, scorching his veins and bursting from him a life-giving river of his seed. He arched up, pushing hard against Beulah’s feminity, so hard against her he couldn’t physically get any closer, and he poured his seed deep within her spasming womanhood.
She screamed out his name, arching up herself, pressing her hips hard against him, welcoming him. Her muscles milked him dry, spasming, draining him of every drop of seed that could come forth from the one magical mating.
The light pulsed around them, hard red, a tinge of blue at the edges now, and as he slumped down atop her in pure exhaustion, the red faded to purple, then lilac, and finally vanished from his sight.
Pillowing his head on the armrest by her own cheek, Sinya buried one hand in Beulah’s hair and massaged gently before going still, wanting her to know he was still aware of her.
~ * ~
Beneath Sinya’s lean, hard body, Beulah felt warm, cozy and loved. Blinking up at the shadowed ceiling, she drew in deep breaths, slowly regaining her whirling thoughts, and putting them into order.
She couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction. She felt good. More than good. Alive. Blood coursed through her body, and she could still feel Sinya buried inside her. True, his staff was now limp, but still impressive.
Lifting one arm, she ran her hand lightly down his back, smoothing over the muscles. Reaching his buttocks, she dared to gently squeeze one hard muscle.
"Easy, sweetheart," Sinya panted into her ear. "A touch like that is sure to get me all excited again."
"I can handle it if you can." Turning her head, she nuzzled his ear through the silky fall of his hair. "Unless you’re too tired?"
"Never!" Indignantly, he braced his hands either side of her, started to push up, and collapsed with a groan. "Oh, God! I’m exhausted."
Chuckling, she ruffled his hair.
"This has never happened before to me."
"Nor me," she reminded him.
A satisfied sigh greeted this, and several minutes passed while Sinya regained his normal breathing pattern. Finally he lifted his head, using his forearms to brace himself, and gazed down at her. Love and a touch of tender humour warmed his dark eyes.
"That was a surprise," he said softly.
"I’ll have to take your word for that," she teased.
"Trust me, that has never happened before." He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. "But it is going to happen again. And again." Another kiss on the tip of her nose. "And again." He took her lips in a soft, nibbling kiss.
Little sparks sizzled to life, and she returned his kiss with enthusiasm.
"Oh, yes," he breathed into her mouth. "Oh, little witch, work your magic again."
"I believe it was you who raided me," she purred back into his mouth.
He stilled, then laughed huskily. "I did. I should apologise, but I’m not going to. I admit I boarded you, raided you, took everything you had, and am preparing to do so again." He kissed her deeply, making her senses reel, before lifting his head to gaze down at her once more. "But there’s something of mine you have, Beulah, that I’ll never get back again."
"And what’s that?" She reached up and touched his cheek, running her fingers along the strong lines lovingly.
"My heart."
Emotion washed over her, making her blink back a tear. "Oh, you can never have that back, pirate. The witch has claimed it, and she’s hanging on for dear life to it."
"There’s no one else I’d rather have it."
Their kiss this time was gentle, caring, and Beulah poured into that one kiss all her love. The spark of pure emotion slid from her to Sinya, leaving him in no doubt about how she felt.
Heat flared between them again, and it was with surprise that Beulah suddenly felt Sinya lift away from her. Blinking up at him in bemusement, she watched as he jerked his pants up over his already stiffening manhood.
Grinning, Sinya took her hand and drew her to her feet. "I’ve run the risk of being discovered in a very compromising situation with you once already, sweet. I’m not about to risk getting sprung by one of my crew this time." Releasing her hand, he deftly retied the ribbon of her bodice together, then swung her up into his arms. "I’m going to kidnap you and take you off to my cabin, to have my wicked way with you."
"Oohh, I like that." Laughing, Beulah looped one arm around his neck. "On one condition."
"What’s that?"
"I get a turn at having my wicked way with you."
Sinya groaned, rolled his eyes, and quickened his steps.
Laughing, Beulah snuggled up against him.
~ * ~
::Concentrate on a projective light.::
::I’m trying, Aria." Wes frowned. "Does it have to be white?::
::White is purity. Maybe that’s why mine is... No, I think it can be another colour if it’s meant to be.::
::You don’t sound so sure of that.::
::Just concentrate.::
Looking at his hand, Wes frowned harder, trying to see the protective light. He thought he saw a glimmer, but he couldn’t be certain. The line was thin around his hand, a faint shimmer of... something.
Excitedly, he concentrated harder, only to have it broken when Aria gave a cry of fear and withd
rew with an abruptness that startled him.
From inside his dark prison, he heard the door of the chamber slam open, and boots ringing against the stone floor.
"The fools are coming!" Hortra snarled.
Sinya? Wes felt hope leap in his heart.
"They think they can beat me!" The sound of a fist slamming onto a table made Wes tremble. "They think that they can get close enough to defeat me!"
Hortra breathed harshly, the breath whistling between his teeth.
"I tell you, boy, they may have safe passage to the outer rim of my area, but from there they are alone. The Overlord assists them, and I don’t know why, but he leaves them alone at the rim. I know this, for I’ve read the vibes of Phemar. None with darkness in their souls can hide their true thoughts from me."
Sinya is coming! Wes wanted to jump with relief.
"The witch-woman comes. I feel her, boy. I feel her presence strongly. Her and that cursed goodness. But darkness will prevail. There’s something..." Hortra mused silently for several minutes. "Something..."
Through the dark cloud, Wes could sense Hortra striding over to the window, to gaze out as he always did when thinking.
"The witch, Beulah, is most interesting, boy. Most interesting." Hortra laughed suddenly. "I cannot wait to have her my prisoner. She is a mystery I want to reveal. Yes, a mystery." His voice moved away, then came closer to Wes’s prison of black cloud. "You, I haven’t figured out yet, either, boy. But I’m close. You live on emotion, your powers are embedded in emotion. It won’t be long and that power will be mine. All mine. Emotions are powerful rulers, boy. Very powerful."
Laughing, Hortra moved away, leaving Wes shivering.
~ * ~
Beulah woke slowly from her sleep, feeling warm and comfortable. Looking around, she remembered that she was in Sinya’s bed, in his cabin. Muscles previously unused protested as she shifted, and she couldn’t help but grin.
"Glad to see you smiling." Sinya entered the room from the shower cabin, and crossed to the bed to drop a kiss on her upturned face.
"Did you think I’d have second thoughts?" She sat up slowly.
"After the love I made to you?" Sinya widened his eyes at her in comical disbelief. "You have complaints?"
"Perish the thought." She laughed, stopping when her stomach gave a rumble of hunger.
Sinya pulled a face. "I was going to suggest that I refresh your memory of my prowess in the bed--"
"Don’t forget the sofa."
He grinned wolfishly. "Left a lasting impression on you, hmm?"
She winked.
He laughed outright, stopping when his own stomach rumbled. "We burned some energy in the wee hours of this morn, my sweet. I suggest we feed our bodies, then return here and continue making love."
"My, you’re full of bright ideas, aren’t you?"
"Just taking care of your health." He winked roguishly at her.
Laughing, she pushed back the covers, unashamedly standing up naked.
Sinya groaned and turned his back. "I’ll wait here for you."
The shower was refreshing, waking her up completely. She felt warm, satiated, more content than she could ever remember being. The water slid down over skin Sinya himself had kissed and touched only hours earlier. A pulse beat between her thighs at the memory, and she smiled, closing her eyes.
Powerful in his lovemaking, strong and decisive, yet so sweet and tender. Sinya had led her down unexplored paths with a zest for life and fun that had made her laugh and gasp all at once.
I’m the luckiest witch alive.
Grinning, she turned off the water and dried herself thoroughly before donning the gown she found draped across the wash basin. Running a brush through her hair, she fastened it at the nape of her neck in a bun, finding the pins in a little dish beside the wash basin.
Now that she thought of it... Beulah stepped out into the cabin, and looked around her. There were none of her things in the cabin that she could see.
Sinya chose that moment to turn around from where he’d been working on the viscomm. His dark eyes sparkled with pleasure at the sight of her. "You look beautiful."
"I look how I always look," she returned, reaching up to touch her bun. "You brought my pins in?"
"I tried to guess what you’d need." Standing up, he crossed the cabin and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Did I forget anything?"
"No." Pleasure swept through her that he’d been so thoughtful.
"Let’s go eat. I’m starving." He glanced wickedly down at her as he held out his arm. "In more ways than one."
Slipping her hand through his arm, Beulah laughed outright. "Flatterer."
The silence between them was comfortable as they went down to the dining area. Their steps were in sync, Sinya automatically slowing his normal strides so that she kept up easily. He held her arm close, so that as she walked beside him their bodies gently bumped against each other.
In the dining cabin, the pirates were talking and eating.
Ralfis looked up as they entered. "Speak of the devil, and here he is. Sinya..." His voice trailed away in amazement.
"What’s wrong?" Sinya led Beulah to the food cabinet, and chose a plate for himself.
"Ah... well..." Ralfis looked at Ephim, who was staring at Beulah.
Taking a plate of food, Beulah sat down in her customary place, and looked inquiringly at Ephim. "Are you all right?"
"Um... Of course. Yes."
Taking the stool opposite, Sinya raised one brow at him. "You look shocked."
Franc looked at Ephim, then at Beulah, across to Sinya, back to Beulah, shook his head, and took another bite of toast.
"What is going on?" Sinya demanded.
"Not our business," Franc grunted.
"What’s not your business?" Sinya glanced at Beulah in puzzlement.
She saw his gaze change to realization when his eyes dropped lower. Immediately she raised her hand to the side of her throat, and felt a tender spot. Her own cheeks pinkened.
"Devil’s mark," Beli said conversationally. "Appears in the oddest places."
"Yeah," Franc said, eyeing Sinya. "And there he is."
Drake was staring openly at Beulah and Sinya, until a well-aimed kick from Ralfis made him hurriedly turn his gaze away.
Sinya looked at Beulah, and the helpless expression in his eyes made her smile. Beulah winked at him, letting him know that she wasn’t embarrassed at all. They loved each other, and as far as she was concerned, there was nothing to be ashamed of between them.
Life was too short and precious to worry about what everyone else thought.
He blinked, then grinned broadly at her. Taking a big bite of toast, he chewed with enjoyment, and flashed his crew a devil-may-care look.
Taking a sip of berry juice, Beulah laughed to herself.
Franc shook his head and returned to his meal. Ralfis shrugged, Ephim took a deep breath and draught of his una, and Drake tossed a thin stream of what smelt suspiciously like nutmeg over his shoulder.
The rest of the crew scratched their heads, looked at each other, then returned to their previous conversations. Just like that, everything went back to normal.
~ * ~
Whistling to himself, Sinya rechecked the coordinates of their destination.
"Three days away." Beulah peered over his shoulder.
"We’re closing in on Hortra," he announced. "At last."
"He hasn’t sent anything spooky at us," Drake stated. "That’s an improvement, in my opinion."
"Because of the Overlord’s protection," Beulah replied. "That’ll change once Fredrico and Phemar leave."
"Then we need to prepare ourselves for the attack." Sinya pressed a key on the control panel, bringing the glowing brown rim surrounding Hortra’s planet into focus.
"What’s the plan?" Franc queried. "Is Beulah going to do her hocus-pocus and get in there somehow?"
"I’ll find us a way through the rim," Beulah said.
"Can you do it
without Hortra sensing you?" Sinya looked at her in concern.
"No."
Drake glanced up worriedly. "No?"
"He already knows we’re coming," she stated.
"Hortra can see us?" Sinya frowned, not liking that news one little bit.
"He’ll have been following our progress for a while. The only thing stopping his attack is the presence of the Overlord’s people." She nodded towards the screen, where Fredrico’s ship cruised not far off.
"Once they go, we need to get inside the rim somehow and get to Wes." Blowing out a deep breath, Sinya folded his arms and frowned thoughtfully.
"The rim might not be much of a problem." Coming to stand beside him, Beulah studied the brown line on the screen. "Once Fredrico leaves, we have to work fast."
Rubbing his goatee, Sinya glanced down at her. "You know how to get through the rim?"
"That’ll be the easy part. The hard part will be when he sends his forces against us."
"Drake, bring up the file Fredrico sent us, the one that shows the fortress."
A picture of a huge, bleak, stone fortress filled the viscomm screen. Contemplating it, Sinya pursed his lips. "There’s no sign of any troops on the surface."
"Probably doesn’t need them," Drake muttered. "Sends his evil spirits to fight, more like it."
"Bloody cheerful character, aren’t you?" Franc looked sourly at him.
"Just telling it like it is."
Franc rolled his eyes.
"Get Fredrico on-line," Sinya ordered Drake.
Still muttering about evil spirits, Drake locked onto Fredrico’s frequency, and within seconds Fredrico’s face came onto the viscomm screen.
"Hey, there, boyo," he greeted Sinya easily.
Sinya didn’t waste time with preliminaries. "What do you know of Hortra’s forces?"
"Spirits or people?"
"I told you!" Drake shook his head.
Sinya ignored him. "You sent the plan of the fortress, but there’s no markings showing his troops or anything."
"The thing with Hortra, old son, is that he doesn’t rely a whole lot on living people."
"He fights with... spirits?"
"Some. Oh, don’t get me wrong, he fights with spirits and all that mystical shit, too, but he does have some fighting ships. Enough to take you out." Fredrico grinned hugely.
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