by Lili Zander
“Stop.” Nero’s hand tightens on my shoulder. “Please.” Reluctantly, I pull away. He helps me to my feet and presses a deep, searing kiss to my lips. Ignoring his own, obvious arousal, he soaps me.
By the time he’s done, I’m just as keyed up as him. “Nero,” I whimper as he dries me with a towel, each stroke kindling on an already raging fire. “Please. Just fuck me.”
“Not yet.”
Argh. It’s been far too long. Why is he torturing me like this?
He guides me to the bed. The back of my knees hits the edge, and I lie down and hold my arms out to Nero. Soft light bathes the room. Nero’s naked, and he’s gorgeous. Raw hunger fills me as I t stare at him. He’s mine. He’s here with me. I still can’t believe it, but it’s not going to stop me from savoring the moment.
“Spread your legs, love. I have to taste you.”
A shudder jolts through me at the thought of Nero’s mouth on my pussy. His fingers penetrating me, stretching me, thrusting into me. His tongue swirling lazy circles around my clit until I’m gasping his name and gripping the sheets, my entire body taut, tensed, poised for release…
A smile tips the corners of his mouth. “You like that idea.”
It’s not a question; it’s an assertion, confident and male. My head spins. The naked desire on his face is intoxicating. I spread my legs for him, and he growls. “Put your hands above your head. Grip the headboard.”
“I want to touch you.” There’s a distinct whine in my voice.
“You can either hold the slats,” Nero continues implacably, grabbing one of the many pillows on the bed and positioning it under my ass. “Or I will tie your wrists to it. Your choice.”
His dominant tone and his stern words act as fuel on my already burning lust. My nipples are so hard and tight that they ache. My clit is throbbing. Finding something to tie my hands together will take time, and I’m far too impatient. I needed Nero in the park. I wanted him in the shower. And now I burn for his touch.
I grab the headboard.
Another smile ghosts over his face. “Such a good girl.” He kneels between my legs, pushing my thighs wider, and then he leans over. He bends his head over me, and his tongue swipes a slow path up my slit.
Yes! Finally.
My fingers dig into the slats. Nero sucks my clit into his mouth, and I squirm and writhe in response. I’m so sensitive that it’s almost painful, but at the same time, I think I’ll die if he stops. It’s so good. It’s so unbelievably good.
He draws back. A whimper escapes my throat. Surely he’s not going to stop…?
“I saw you watch me,” he murmurs. “When I was flying the Valiant. Your eyes were glued to my fingers.” His thumb brushes over my clit. “Were you imagining me touching you?”
Yes. Not that I’m going to tell him that. That would be mortifying.
He chuckles against my pussy. The sound sends warm shivers through me. “Or were you imagining being impaled on the joystick?” He thrusts two fingers deep into my core.
I hadn’t then. I am now.
This time, I can’t hold back my moan. “Please…”
Once again, he pulls away. He sits back on his haunches. He reaches down and fists his cock, adjusting himself with a low groan. Then he dives into me. He licks me over and over, his strokes long and steady. His fingers trace the folds of my pussy, and desire jolts up my spine.
My back arches off the bed. Raw, intense pleasure saturates me. My muscles tighten. Nero pushes his fingers back into me, and I start to quake. “Yes,” he rasps. “Let yourself go, Raven. Come for me.”
I shatter. Wave after wave of bliss washes over me. A haze envelops my brain. Nero’s tongue doesn’t let up. He keeps licking me, relentless, his fingers digging into my thighs, keeping me open for him, prolonging my pleasure.
I break again and again and again until I can’t take it anymore. I grip his shoulders. “Stop,” I gasp. “I can’t take anymore. I’m too sensitive.”
He lifts his head. My juices glisten on his chin, but he doesn’t seem to care. His eyes are smug. “Enjoyed yourself?”
Spirit, yes. “Seriously, how does your ego fit in this room?”
He laughs. “It’s a ridiculously large room. Leave it to Ragnar to put a mammoth bed on a spaceship. With a window, for fuck’s sake.”
He lies down next to me, his body pressed against mine. His cock is erect. It juts out, hard and long and thick, a drop of precum on the head. I reach for it. “I want you to fuck me.”
“I know you do.” He pinches my nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. “But you were a bad girl, Raven. You took your hands off the headboard.”
Crap. I did. And he noticed. Of course, he did.
“Please don’t make me wait,” I plead, my voice catching in a hitch. Please don’t tell me he’s going to deny me, because I think I’ll cry. I’m too wound up. I need him. I need the weight of his body on mine.
My face must betray my emotions because his expression softens. “Hey, hey,” he murmurs. “It’s just a game.”
“I need you.”
I barely finish my plea when he slams into me. Hard. The breath leaves my body in a whoosh. “You have me,” he promises. Without another word, he drives into me again, his thick cock stretching me wide.
I almost sob in sheer relief.
He pulls back and then slams into me again. My pussy is puffy and swollen, and every nerve ending is on fire. I feel every inch of him as he pounds into me. His breathing is harsh, and his eyes are glazed with lust. “Raven,” he rasps. “I’ve missed this so much.”
“Me too,” I gasp as he thrusts deep into me. His hands squeeze my breasts just hard enough to send prickles of satisfaction dancing over my body. His fingers pluck my nipples, again and again. The sensation blows my mind. “Not that your ego needs any more stroking.”
He chuckles, the sound raw and ragged. “My ego’s not the thing that needs stroking.” He guides my hand down to his cock, his eyes clouded with need. My fingers graze his shaft as he pistons into me.
This is so intimate. We’re joined together. No more chasms. No more distance. Just togetherness.
He presses into me, harder, faster. He’s not gentle, and he’s not soft. I don’t want those things. I don’t want to feel like a fragile, breakable doll. He’s fucking me, rough and fast and hot, and I can’t get enough of it. I wrap my legs around him and meet each stroke.
His fingers find my clitoris. “I can’t,” I gasp. “It’s too much.”
“One more time,” he says persuasively. “Come with me.”
He pins my wrists against the bed. His strokes become wilder, more uneven. He’s slamming into me now, burying himself deep. Sparks fill me. Desire threatens to overflow. His control frays as he nears his release. His fingers coax my clitoris into another orgasm, and he times it perfectly. Just as I shatter, he grips my hips so hard with his fingers that I’m going to have marks, and he climaxes with a grunt of pleasure and my name on his lips.
“That was…” Amazing. Stupendous. Mind-shattering. “…okay.”
He grins lazily. He knows I’m lying. “Just okay?” he drawls, the sexy sound doing all kinds of things to my insides. “That’s a shame. Give me a few minutes, and we’ll try again.”
14
Zeke
Once we are safely in orbit and on our way to Merin, I turn on the news. A couple of pundits are debating if unbitten humans should be allowed to serve as officers in the Imperial Army. “I don’t want to sound condescending,” Ray Kathir, the elderly male vampire says. “But let’s face the facts. Humans aren’t as strong as vampires. They move slower. They think slower.”
His co-host, an elaborately coiffed female vampire that I don’t recognize, nods soberly. “Then there’s the question nobody wants to ask, Ray. Can we really trust humans to be loyal to the Empire of Shayde? To the Empress? I don’t know.”
Racist garbage, disguised as concern. I reach for the controls to click past this
nonsense when a breaking news bulletin interrupts me. “Imperial Army defeated in Deina,” the headline blares. “Over five thousand soldiers dead.”
Shock pulses through me. Five thousand. I lean forward to catch the details. They’re sparse, but from what I can understand, five units were sent down to put down the local resistance in Deina, one of the more populous planets in the Uncharted Reaches. On arrival, it turned out that the resistance was much stronger than our intelligence revealed. The units called for backup, but none arrived in time.
Ray Kathir is talking again, his face white. “Five thousand soldiers, slaughtered because of what General Levitan is calling a communication error. Why isn’t the General taking responsibility for his mistake and resigning?”
The woman shakes her head. “This isn’t General Levitan’s fault. He didn’t make the decision to plunge into this war. Empress Astrid did.” She purses her lips. “The Empress comes of age in a few weeks. Is she really ready to rule? Judging by what just happened in Deina…” Her mouth clamps shut.
She’s wise to stop. Already, she’s skating pretty close to treason by implying that Astrid isn’t ready to assume command.
Why the hell hadn’t there been backup? It’s standard Imperial Army protocol that backup units are always on standby, ready to phase-jump into orbit. Why hadn’t they been able to get to Deina in time?
Levitan’s calling it a communication error. Somehow, that doesn’t ring true.
I make my way to the cockpit, where Saber’s manning the controls. “Something happened.” Saber’s been in the center of Shayde politics his entire life. When it comes to political maneuvering and power struggles, his instincts are far better than mine.
I fill him in on Deina, and his face darkens. “Levitan wanted Astrid to fail,” he says. “He’d keep it quiet. Nothing that can be traced back to him. But I wouldn’t put it past him to have sabotaged the Empress.” He shakes his head. “Another assassination attempt on Ragnar too. The timing is suspicious.”
Our priority is Raven. Ragnar has already taken a sample of her blood, but once we get to Merin, we’ll do the same, and then begin the process of freeing her from this damn disease.
Helping Ragnar isn’t part of our plan.
Except the prince unhesitatingly agreed to return the stolen children to their homes. He could have killed Raven, but he let her go. He gave us new identities.
“The backup fleet arrived too late on Deina,” I think out loud. “A miscommunication isn’t the only reason for that to happen. They could have also run out of fuel.”
“Boarium.” Saber’s expression hardens. “Levitan’s been playing this game for a very long time. The disappearance of the boarium convoy at Rothis, the pirate raid a couple of days ago on Boarus 13, and now this…”
“If he’s hoarding boarium, there’ll be more shortages. More units will die if backup units fail to arrive. The pressure will increase on Empress Astrid.”
“And Levitan will suggest he stay on as Regent for a few more years,” Saber spits out in disgust. “As he’s always wanted. Power at all costs. Five thousand of his own troops are dead, and that means nothing to the General.”
I give Saber a sidelong glance. “We can help. Before we were diverted to Boarus 4, I was pretty close to finding Levitan’s cache of boarium. If we worked along with Ragnar…”
Saber thinks about my suggestion for a minute, and then he nods. “Let’s call him.”
Ragnar’s face fills the screen. “Hello, Zeke,” he says conversationally. He turns to Saber. “You thought I’d kill her? Seriously? We went through basic together, Hafsson. What the fuck?”
Saber looks briefly discomfited. “That might have been an error in judgment on my part.”
“You think? And then you stole the Valiant.” He sounds outraged. “That’s my favorite ship.”
“We put scratches on it too.” Saber doesn’t seem to be too perturbed by Ragnar’s reaction. “You’re too old to throw a tantrum, Prince Ragnar. Get over it.”
Ragnar leans back with a grin. “I’ve missed you, Hafsson. Nobody insults me quite the same way.” His smile widens. “Though your girl certainly did her best. If you’re calling about the children, I’m on it. The Ruby Rose is en-route to safer territory. My people have already cracked Gratvar’s infosec. I’ll make sure they are returned home, and if that’s not possible, that we do right by them. You have my word.”
His people have already cracked Gratvar’s systems? Ouch. I thought I was good at what I do.
“That’s not what I was calling about,” Saber replies, gesturing in my direction. “Zeke has an offer for you.”
I push aside my pique and address the prince. “Multiple cargo ships containing boarium have been lost in the last two years,” I start. “I’ve long suspected that Levitan’s behind the thefts.”
Ragnar doesn’t look surprised.
“After Rothis, finding out who was responsible became personal,” I continue. We lost five members of our team in Rothis. It still hurts. “General Levitan was quite happy for Saber to take the fall for losing that cargo, but we’d been ambushed. Someone had leaked intel; the smugglers who stole the boarium knew exactly what we were carrying and what our route was.”
“Harek.” Ragnar turns to Saber. “Why didn’t you come to me?”
“I didn’t want to accuse the General without proof.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Ragnar explodes. “Saber, I know what happened to your grandfather was terrible. It was a travesty of justice. But I thought we were friends. You should have come to me.”
Saber winces. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Okay.” The prince transfers his attention back to me. “Knowing Harek Levitan is behind this doesn’t help me. One more defeat like Deina and the Ruling Council will vote to stop the war.”
“Levitan wouldn’t destroy the boarium he stole; it’s far too valuable. He’s got it stored somewhere. I can help you find it.”
Ragnar’s lips tilt up in a slow, speculative smile. “I’ve tried to recruit you for years, Ulrich.”
“Have you?”
He laughs. “Of course. I’ve built the finest spy network in the galaxy. Why wouldn’t I want you? You’re among the best.” He leans forward. “I accept your offer and thank you for it. As soon as you land in Merin, Tomas will get in touch with you.”
Tomas? I put two and two together. “Tomas Cabal, from Boarus 4. Overlord Zimmer’s chosen champion. He was one of yours?”
Ragnar shakes his head ruefully. “Months of work down the drain,” he says. “Zimmer was running out of options. I knew he was conspiring with Harek, but I didn’t know what they were doing. Once Tomas lost that tournament, Zimmer would have run out of options. He would have flipped on Levitan.”
Shit. Zimmer would have been the proof Ragnar needed to depose the General. “Instead, I killed Klaus Zimmer.”
The prince laughs shortly. “Yeah, I saw the surveillance. Nice shooting.”
“You’ve got enough of Raven’s blood to get started on a cure?” Saber asks.
“I think so. You’re still going to Merin, right? I’ll send Ivar Karling there to do a blood transfusion.” He smiles without humor. “I like Raven, but until she’s free of the blood virus, she’s a walking risk. Someone could kidnap her and steal her blood.”
“Someone already did,” I point out wryly.
Ragnar’s teeth flash in a smile. “Valid point.”
Saber frowns. “The assassins that came for you. Were they Levitan?”
“No.” A cold mark settles on Ragnar’s face. “This attack was courtesy Gerra Clay and Patrik Kevis. They’re also trying to destabilize Astrid. I’m assuming it’s over her plans to put a human on the Council once she comes of age.”
“Which human?” Saber asks curiously.
I bite back my grin. As much as Saber claims he hates Starra politics, it’s in his blood. For generations, his family has served on the Council. Hafssons have commanded the Imperial
Army. You can try to outrun your legacy—Saber certainly has—but in the end, you can’t escape your destiny.
That thought wipes the smile off my face. I’ve spent the last nine years trying to outrun my past. If we can’t surmount our legacies, then I’m fucked.
Ragnar’s saying something. I banish that dark thought to the back of my mind and return my attention to the conversation. “Or there’s Zeke’s friend, Adam Masev,” he says. I stiffen in shock, and he flashes me an amused look. “It really is my job to know everything, Zeke. If Masev can break away from the more violent faction of Equality Pact, he’s a candidate. He’s smart, and he’s rational.”
Something beeps in the background. Ragnar grimaces. “That’s my cue to leave,” he says. “Be careful. Marya Revit is still after you. I’d help, but I’m stretched pretty thin at the moment.”
“I can handle Marya.”
Ragnar raises his eyebrow. “Can you? Very well; I’m not stepping into that land mine again. You know best. Zeke, thank you again for your help. I’ll talk to you when you get to Merin.”
He hangs up. I digest the conversation, then turn to Saber. “What did he mean, he’s not stepping into that land mine again?”
Saber grimaces. “A long time ago, Ragnar told me not to fall in love with Marya. I thought he was being prejudiced against humans. I lost my temper and stormed off.” He looks embarrassed.
Saber doesn’t talk about himself much, and I’ve never heard him talk about the prince except in the most general of terms. But listening to them today, it was obvious that they’ve known each other for a very long time. Is Marya the reason for the distance between them?
“Why do you think he warned you? Because Marya Revit is an assassin?”
“I doubt it; Ragnar admires that about Marya. I think Ragnar saw something that I was blinding myself to. I looked at Marya, and I saw what had been done to her, and I felt sorry for her. I wanted to do right by her.” His lips twist. “Pity is not a good foundation for a relationship.”
“And Raven?”
“What’s been done to Raven is terrible,” he agrees. “But Raven isn’t Marya. She still has the ability to love, to care for people. I don’t pity Raven. I admire her.”
