by Vi Voxley
After giving her a moment to adjust, he settled into a brutal rhythm, with Naima loving every second and inch of it. She squirmed, bracing herself against the bone-shattering pounding, moaning when Braen hit the spot within her.
"You feel so fucking good," the general breathed, panting heavily while Naima was no longer able to form words at all. "Do you like this? I want to know how much you want me, how much you need my cock."
Naima groaned when Braen spoke, his every word punctuated with a deep thrust right against her core. She cried out again and again, the pleasure overwhelming her quicker than she could have ever imagined. Naima wanted to feel and remember every second of that.
"Yes, I –" she moaned. "Fuck, Braen, yes! I need you, oh gods yes, I love how big you are, I want you, all of you!"
She could hear the general growl at that, his hands slipping on her sweat-dappled skin. In the next second, Naima felt herself being gently pushed forward to lie on her stomach.
Braen settled over her, his weight pinning her down on the bed. Naima moaned when Braen grabbed her hands and held them as well at the wrists. She was utterly helpless in his arms and loved it.
He kissed her neck, biting at her skin and driving her fast out of her mind with lust.
"I can feel that," he panted right against her ear, the sensation making her shiver even more. "Your pussy is so wet for me, so hungry for my seed. You are mine now. Mine and mine alone, needing me to bury my cock inside your tightness."
Naima writhed under him, trying to last through the blinding pleasure. Braen was slamming into her with punishing force, fucking her into the mattress so hard that the bed creaked and moved with them. She could feel her orgasm approaching, her only desire to ride the wave of that ecstasy as long as she could.
"Braen, please, I – I'm going to … " Naima moaned, barely holding onto any conscious thought at this point.
"Mine," Braen spoke hoarsely against her neck, although Naima could feel how close he was. "Do you want to cum? I want to hear your beautiful voice tell me what you want."
"Yours," Naima whimpered, her voice broken and weak. "I want to cum so badly. Let me – I, oh Gods it's so fucking good –"
Braen said nothing to that. Naima could feel him shudder as the general's own climax neared. They were both lost to a world of lust and heat and desire, moving against each other without rhythm or shame.
Braen was hitting the spot in her with every thrust now and Naima felt like she was going to black out. Her lips were parted, nothing but whimpers coming out. There were no words in her head anymore, nothing except for the desperate need to cum.
She cried out Braen's name as the orgasm shot through her like a lightning strike, every inch of Naima shuddering under the onslaught. The universe came to life behind her closed eyelids. This time, it wasn’t dark or foreboding. Instead, it was warm and exhilarating and the best damn thing she’d ever felt, the waves of the orgasm sweeping over her relentlessly.
Braen's huge cock pulsed inside her and the general kissed her neck passionately as he spilled his seed inside her pussy, groaning. Naima's body convulsed, strength leaving her limbs as she laid there, utterly spent, afloat in the more peaceful pleasure of her afterglow.
The general gave them both a long moment to remember how to breathe again before rolling off her. Naima's eyes met his blues and instead of the dissipating lust she'd expected to see, there was nothing but love. In his absolutely unguarded moment, Braen looked at her like she was the most precious jewel in all the galaxy.
It was almost enough to make a woman think that she was all that.
With a satiated smile, she cuddled up against his chest, resting her head on his mighty pecs. Braen's hands gently caressed her skin and despite the wild fucking, Naima felt like it was the most intimate moment they'd shared so far.
There was no need, and even no space for words. For all the objections she’d had about everything, for once he’d made her shut up. It was a nice feeling.
I could get used to this.
She didn't register the moment when she fell asleep again. Naima had all but forgotten about her nightmare. Wrapped up safely in Braen's arms, the Fearless didn't return to her.
9
Braen
Naima was his.
After the night they'd spent together, there was no doubt in Braen's heart that they were meant for each other. The passion they'd shared, it was so far beyond anything he'd experienced with Brion women that it made them fade away like shadows from the light that was Naima.
He woke up first, grateful to get a few unguarded moments to simply watch the beautiful Terran. The general knew better than to expect any miracles from Naima, she was more than likely to still resist the bond even after their night together.
It didn’t matter. To him, it was final.
His gesha's presence was like staring right at a star, bright and vivid and almost dangerous in its intensity.
As a Brion general, nothing was truly beyond Braen. Paired with a natural curiosity and an unstoppable need to test his limits, nothing had ever captured him for too long. There was always something on the horizon. A new challenge, a mystery, a worthy opponent.
Now Naima was everything. He could easily see a lifetime with her and only her, and it would be enough to sate his urge to know and conquer completely.
Braen finally understood why it was pointless to ask a bonded couple what it felt like to find their fated. All the words in the galaxy couldn't have described what it felt like to feel Naima's soft lips on his. And nothing in his life compared to the pure rush of feeling her return the kiss just as wildly, just as hungrily.
Naima moved in her sleep, subconsciously drawing nearer to him. She had the sweetest smile on her face. Her scent, her gorgeous body and the heat of her were driving Braen quickly mad with desire. He had to suppress a deep growl, along with a need to wake his gesha and bury his cock into her inviting pussy right then and there.
Patience. Terrans call it a virtue. I call it a necessity.
Braen finally agreed with her on the topic of the Brion senses. Only he didn't think it was her that was getting the short end of that deal. To resist her was nearly impossible. Only by exercising his considerable self-control did Braen deny himself the temptation of waking her.
Yet he knew it was the right thing to do. Naima's desire for him was obvious, but that wasn't what made a truly lasting bond. Braen wanted all of her and lust wasn't the most important part by far.
He had to give Naima time to adjust to her new life, as inevitable as it was. If he had learned anything from the myths surrounding the mates of some of his general brothers, it was that rushing was the fastest way to failure.
There wasn’t a soul in Brion space that hadn’t heard some version of the story of Faren’s gesha trying to escape him using the sewers. Braen didn’t need his own matching tale.
At last, Naima opened her gorgeous green eyes and Braen got to enjoy a single look of complete and utter happiness before the reality seemed to crash down on her.
"Oh, fuck," were Naima's first words to him, her eyes growing wide and her mouth remaining open after those words slipped out.
"I wouldn't phrase what happened last night like that. Technically, you are not wrong," Braen replied.
Naima scrambled away from him, leaving his body aching for her warmth. She took the sheets with her, dragging them off the bed as she stood, trying to cover her nakedness. Then her eyes dropped. Braen grinned a little, seeing the way Naima's mouth stretched open wider, staring at him.
He might have flexed a little for her viewing pleasure.
"I fucked up so badly," she whispered, changing the subject then. "How did that even fit?"
"We are destined for each other," Braen said, paying no attention to his nudity. "It would be a cruel fate if we didn't match in every way."
He paused, a hungry fire flaring up in him. Naima watched his cock grow harder with a mix of ravenous lust and deep despair. Her brows knitte
d together and as far as he could tell, it was equal parts desire to crawl back on the bed with him, and the need to run as far and as fast away as she could.
Good thing they were on his ship and there was nowhere to go. Considering how willful the little Terran was, he had no doubt that she really would run, given the opportunity.
"You are perfect," Braen went on in a leisurely way. "Your pussy was so incredibly tight and wet like you were made for me –"
He stopped when Naima shuddered from head to toe, covering her ears with her hands and almost letting the sheet drop.
"Don't say that," the little Terran snapped, her temper turning him on even more. "I won't deny that it was nice, but it can't happen again. We are on a mission and we can't complicate things by doing this."
"Nice?" Braen asked, a playful smirk on his lips.
He got up, walking over to Naima, who couldn't back away fast enough in her makeshift robe of sheets. The general pulled her into his arms before she could back into a wall and after a prideful struggle, his gesha relaxed.
Her body spoke for itself, but Braen wasn't simply after her desire. She was his fated and that meant belonging to each other, heart and soul. The little pout of insolence and shock at her own behavior the previous night only made it sweeter.
"I will not touch you if you tell me no," he said, his deep voice dropping to a whisper, "but I heard nothing of the sort yesterday and I don't hear it now. I know Terrans think some things ought to be chosen. It doesn't mean you have to fight what you truly want for the sake of – Pride? Manners? Tradition?"
"It's not that," Naima protested.
Her answer surprised him.
"It's you. I might agree to the bond one day or I might not, I can't be sure of that. None of that will change what you feel, will it?"
"No."
"Then giving in to you isn't something I should do lightly," Naima finished, a sad, slightly confused look in her eyes. "I don't want to give you hope when I could take it all away when it turns out to be nothing but attraction or… lust on my part."
She waved her hand at him as if trying to explain the situation simply by the fact that he looked the way he did. A Brion warrior couldn’t change the shape of his body, at least not in the negative sense…
Her words cut more deeply than Braen could have been prepared for. He couldn't be mad with Naima if he tried and rationally he understood her reasoning. None of that changed the fact it felt like the little Terran was driving blades through him with every word she uttered.
Just lust.
The thought even tasted bitter.
An ugly question occurred to him. Perhaps Naima was right and they had just ruined a single chance at making the bond real for… lust.
It took a great amount of will to assure himself it couldn't be.
Fates would not be this unfair. They are testing us, nothing more.
"I will send someone to you," he said, turning away, the look of pain in Naima's eyes impossible to bear. "I think it's best if you talk to Audrey Price as soon as possible, so you two can give me a heading. The sooner we find the Fearless, the better. It gathers more strength with each second and I don't plan to waste any time."
Naima didn't answer, simply nodded.
He left Naima in her new quarters soon after, vowing that he would never make a mistake with her again. Above everything, she was his heart, the one who he lived for.
Braen walked through the corridors, keenly aware of the ship around him.
The Benevolent was his vessel, had been for a while now. Braen knew every corner and inch of the gigantic vessel and it knew him. The warriors aboard had accepted his lead easily enough, for Brions.
There had been a few challenges following the death of General Valden, but Braen dealt with them as quickly and easily as his brother generals before him. He had swiftly come to understand that the thing that fed challenges was expecting them.
After killing a few upstarts who thought they could trick or overpower him in a manner of seconds, Braen hadn't had to fight for the rule of the army again. It didn’t mean he expected them any less, however.
The stories of the warriors who had seen feeds of what he did to the Fearless played a large part in that. Warrior pride was one thing – healthy and encouraged in moderation – but seeing Braen standing before the corpse of the Fearless was an image Braen doubted any of them would ever forget. The most brutal trophy he ever got quickly made his warriors consider their own abilities with a more sober approach.
So it wasn't exactly only that the fact he was better than the warriors under his command, though he was. That wasn't a good reason for Brions to not issue a challenge. Fear of death was unknown to them, but the fear of dying in an inglorious battle was a strong deterrent to the foolhardy.
So it was completely out of place when Kerven dared to stop his general while he was walking.
"Commander," the warrior said, unable to hide the tremor in his voice.
Braen's eyes went to the warrior's valor squares. They showed nervousness, but not doubt. As it should be. He waited with bated breath. The warrior showed great promise and his boldness was a way for the general to test him. Greatness needed to be nurtured, after all. Even Brions realized this, however reluctantly.
"What is it, warrior?" Braen asked.
"You have an urgent communication, General," the warrior said.
Braen gave the man another look, narrowing his eyes slightly. Like all Brion warriors, Kerven was tall and powerfully built, but he was also young. It explained a few things. Like why he thought it wise to barge in on Braen’s musings this way.
"Do I?" Braen asked, the low tone of his voice making the warrior in front of him wince. "Tell me, then. Who dares to summon me? And why did you choose to make the mistake of delivering that message?"
Kerven's valor squares flashed fear, but only for a second. A reflex more than a reaction. That was good.
Braen waited with all the patience in the world until the warrior searched for words. Both knew that his life was at stake, depending on whether the answer was right or wrong. There were few who were allowed to approach the general like that, and he was several ranks below them all.
"I didn't come to summon you, General," Kerven began.
In the pure Brionese they spoke, general became my undisputed commander. It was a phrase to show no insult was intended, but that very rarely worked on Brion generals.
The fifteen enormous warships were, after all, almost entirely manned by warriors, each and every one of them a dangerous fighter. The Galactic Union had never understood how they functioned without mutinies and skirmishes, but then the Union never heard the whole truth about how the generals kept order.
Braen had broken bones and spilled blood for less. It was in Kerven’s favor that he still felt somewhat… elated, for lack of a better word, from finding Naima.
Discovering his gesha could make a general surprisingly merciful.
"The bridge received a most irregular message," Kerven went on, looking Braen boldly in the eyes, no sign of that momentary fear anymore. "They said they'd wait to relay the message when they were informed that you weren't there. Since there is no precedent of this ever happening before, we did not cut the comm link. I came to deliver the information, sir. To warn you."
"Warn me."
The words echoed in the air, making it absolutely clear that Kerven better have a very good follow-up to that if he wanted to keep his tendons intact.
Of all the answers he could have given, Kerven chose the best. He nodded solemnly, although his voice was almost cheerful.
"Yes, General. To ask you to consider whether you wanted them dead now or later."
Braen allowed himself a small grin. Brions weren't known for their sense of humor, but as a man who others didn't usually dare to make eye contact with, the general enjoyed the occasional laugh. Kerven posed no threat to him, but the young warrior wasn't spineless. A perfect combination for the task Braen had in mind fo
r him.
"Come," Braen said, heading towards the bridge. "Your insolence is forgiven. Now, tell me who do you think could infuriate me to the point where I'd lose my temper?"
Kerven slowed his pace until he fell behind a little.
"The Chali have contacted you, Commander," he said.
Chali.
Braen rounded on the young warrior so suddenly all color drained from Kerven's face. His valor squares sent the same signal as before, befitting a Brion warrior. Wary, but sure.
Seeing that, Braen reined in the fury surging through his veins. Kerven was a messenger, nothing more. He wasn't going to spill Brion blood over one of the species Brions liked the least in the galaxy.
Kerven's warning also started to make a whole lot more sense.
As the most powerful warriors in the galaxy and in the Galactic Union, Brions didn't lack for enemies. They had wiped out civilizations in their dark days and held numerous wars with the majority of those who still existed.
Braen considered the current generation of generals benevolent compared to some of those who'd come before them, as Diego Grothan had joked once. In his days, it was considered polite to give their enemies at least a warning before turning their rivers to blood and rain to ashes.
Earlier, that had not been the case.
Of all the enemies, the Chali were the only ones who didn't actually pose a threat. The issues Brions had with them were far deeper.
"What do the traders want?" Braen demanded harshly.
Kerven had the good sense to look a little uncomfortable answering that.
"The woman didn't tell me much," he said. "Only that it concerned the Fearless."
Braen's laugh was bitter and humorless as he stared Kerven down with flashing eyes. The darkness around them was turning red in the light of the general's valor squares, mirroring his anger.
"I see," he growled. "You have done well, Kerven. Consider your warning delivered."
