by Maia Starr
“You are a fool if you think you can make it past me to harm this human,” Pyre growled. All of the Verians left standing glanced uncertainly from each other to Pyre, whose eyes were bloodshot and frightening in his fury. “But you are welcome to try!”
It didn’t take much debate before the group was pulling Blaithe out of the house by his lapels and carrying the other man over their shoulders. Pyre stared hard at them until we heard the door slam closed and the sound of several thuses taking off down the dying streets of Helna.
“Are you all right?” Pyre asked me, kneeling down to the floor to help me to my feet.
“I am,” I said, though my voice wavered. He smiled kindly at me and nodded.
“Good,” he said. “We can rest for now, but we must leave before morning. I am no longer welcome on this planet. The opposition will surely out me to the Doyan. We are in mortal danger.”
I didn’t know what to say as Pyre, with startling calmness, began to pack his few prized belongings. He summoned the Pelin to help him move his things to the ship downstairs and then touched my cheek. A dull heat traveled from his fingers to my loins, and I bit my lip to keep from showing it on my face.
“All that matters to me is your safety, Yula,” he said, his otherworldly eyes glimmering beautifully. “And I will rectify my mistake, no matter what the personal cost.”
And with that, we headed to the underground bunker, as far as I knew, to never to set foot on the planet Helna again.
***
Underground was dark, but as the ship rolled forward, soon we came upon a shocking light cascading into the bunker, and then we were in the sky, the machine rumbling furiously around us and creating a surreal feeling as the sky began to grow dark and the small orbs of gas flew by the windows, stars up close.
“Are you all right, Yula?” Pyre asked me.
He was leaned back in the captain’s seat of the ship, and I was perched against the command center, staring out one of the port-like windows.
“I’m fine,” I said.
The air between us was quiet and comfortable. The Pelin had retired to his quarters at the other end of the ship long ago, and now it was just Pyre and me awake. I was too full of adrenaline to sleep, and Pyre was still feeling the effects of the steroid he had taken to save me from the opposition earlier in the day. I had studied the vial, shocked by the technology and the implications of it. The Verian government were trying to spawn super soldiers for one-time use attacks, only to leave them as weak distractions, easily killed in battle after they had served their purpose. It was evil.
“Dershalga,” Pyre said, his heart clearly heavy. “I never should have taken you from Earth in the first place.”
“Please, don’t apologize,” I said, walking to him and taking his strong hands in my own. It was nice to feel strength in him again, especially after seeing him collapse with fatigue. Even if it was just because of a steroid. Even if it was just temporary.
“I owe you more than an apology,” Pyre said, standing up from his chair to face me. “I owe you a life. A life free of violence.”
“Don’t be silly,” I said with a small laugh. “Nobody can promise that.”
Pyre looked down at the ground a moment, his eyes cloudy, but when he gazed back into my face, he was grinning.
“Nobody who does is telling the truth, anyway,” he sighed. “But still, I would do anything to try.”
“Why are you doing this for me?” I asked, shaking my head in exasperation. “You’re losing your home…all your allies…”
“If they were truly my allies, they would have allowed me to spare you. They are self-interested and cold. I’m better off without them. And as for why…” Pyre trailed off, his eyes stormy as he looked at me. “I care for you, Yula. I would die before…”
His hands were suddenly on mine, and I gasped in surprise as he pulled me closer to his body, an unexpected wave of pleasure coursing through my body at his touch. I had wanted for so long to succumb to the power of my attraction to him, surrender fully, and now that I knew he was truly a good man, there was nothing stopping me now. He was all I had hoped he could be, and he held me close, our lips just inches away from each other.
“I love you, Yula…I will always protect you, with all of my body and heart, I will protect you.”
I cringed, remembering how his body was breaking down, how a virus from Earth was going to take away yet another person I loved.
But the thought disappeared when Pyre tilted my chin up with one of his long, strong fingers and smiled at me, his eyes dancing.
“Fate has plans for us yet,” he whispered.
My heart knew only peace at that moment, and I closed my eyes, swept away by the incredible pleasure of Pyre’s touch. He devoured me sensually, letting his hands roam up and down my body, his own body strong and virile as the effects of the steroids continued to urge him forward.
“Come,” he whispered into my ear. “Let us retire to my quarters.”
I nodded, stricken silent by my acute longing, and allowed Pyre to lead me to his quarters. He lifted me easily from my feet and onto the bed, stripping me of my clothing as he did so.
“I must taste you,” he whispered, his handsome face alight with curiosity. I moaned softly as his hands explored my every crevice, his fingertips touching me lightly in an exploratory way they hadn’t the first time we’d given into our urges. His time he seemed to be savoring every moment, and I did my best to do the same, not knowing whether or not I would ever get another chance to be with him like this. The disease was coming on fast. And I had no materials on the ship to make him a vaccine. If we made it to Earth, then maybe…
“Oh!”
I laughed and looked down at Pyre, whose soft, sensual lips had found their way to my middle. He was testing my every reaction, and I guided him by the shoulders so that he was on top of me once again.
He smiled at me, a smile I wanted to hold close to my heart and savor for the rest of my life, and then suddenly, as if by magic, he was inside me.
I was enthralled by the shocking wave of heat that consumed me as Pyre entered me, my body pulsing with fire and anticipation as he began his act. Again and again, he pushed inside, granting me more and more pleasure each time.
This time was completely different than the first though. My body felt light, weightless in a way, as Pyre took the reins. I gripped onto the broad shoulder blades of his back and moaned softly as again and again, pleasure consumed me, nearly to the point that all I could focus on was my own need to have him with me always, to feel the sweet release of our bodies as they became one.
“You are mine, Yula,” Pyre whispered into my ear. “No matter what happens, I will be part of you always.”
The deep rumble of his words sent me skyrocketing with ecstasy, and my body filled again with bliss as the power of Pyre’s hips began to show itself in earnest. With every long, sensual stroke of my middle, I felt myself rising higher and higher until I couldn’t take anymore.
I shuddered, gripping Pyre’s body and bringing him closer to me as my entire being exploded into awakening. He sensed this and brought his power to the next level, causing me to cry out in shock. He lowered his lips against mine and kissed me languidly as he coaxed me to continue my orgasm a few moments longer, and I was brought to new heights as his own climax became imminent. Finally, he gritted his teeth, and I was filled with the hot gratification of his orgasm. We held each other as his sensual explosion consumed my body, until finally, he collapsed beside me, our hands still entwined.
“The serum is wearing off, Yula,” Pyre said, his voice suddenly weak. “I think I will sleep for a while.”
I turned to look into his face, frantic and concerned, but by the time I did, he was already gone, snoring softly beside me.
***
“Yula, are you all right? What’s the matter?”
I glared at the door to the ship’s bathroom, tired of everyone asking me what was wrong. I felt sick and agitated,
and everything in my body felt sore.
“I’m fine!” I barked.
“We’re here if you need us,” Pyre’s uncertain voice said.
Despite his brush with death due to his disease, Pyre had become quite energetic over the past few days, almost to the point where I wouldn’t have believed there was anything wrong with him at all.
But that would mean…
I burst out of the bathroom, staring at Pyre accusingly.
“You got me pregnant?” I exclaimed, more in awe than angry.
Barvaa and Pyre studied me for a moment as if I had just spoken in a language they had never heard before, then exchanged looks of astonishment.
“Let me see,” the Pelin said, walking up to me and placing a hand on my stomach. He leaned his head against it, and we were all quiet and still until finally, he moved again. “My dear, you are with child!”
“A super soldier?” Pyre asked quietly, making his way toward me. He almost seemed shy about it, and I glared at him.
“No, our son! He will never be a soldier!”
“He?” Pyre asked, tentatively reaching out to touch my abdomen. I wanted to smack his hand away, but the news had us all shaken.
“Does that mean that your disease is cured?” I asked, my voice small and far away, even to my own ears.
“No,” Pyre said, smiling sadly. “I may still have after-effects from the serum for another week or so. But once the disease is this advanced, there is no help.”
“Then we will get to Earth!” I exclaimed. “We’ll get to my lab, and you will be fine. I found the cure!”
“I’m afraid it will be too late for me,” Pyre said, the same infuriating smile still lingering on his face. “But you will have a piece of me forever.”
“That’s not good enough,” I grumbled. “Pick up the speed. We have to go. Now.”
Pyre and the Pelin exchanged looks, and Pyre shrugged, igniting the power boosters so that the ship jerked forward. The speed was unsafe to navigate, but I trusted Pyre to get me home safely. He had promised, after all.
“Look who we have here!”
The voice was familiar, but it was one that I couldn’t place. All I knew was that it was chilling, and it belonged neither to the Pelin, nor to Pyre. And the owner of it was standing right behind me.
“How did you get on the ship, Arke!” Pyre demanded, shoving forward and inserting himself between me and Arke.
I turned to face him, frowning at the old man whose bushy eyebrows were knitted close together in an expression of concentration and amusement.
“I told you that you wouldn’t get away with this,” Arke said. “The pathetic little terrorist organization that you run told us everything you’ve done, and the guard was there to prove it. You’re in big trouble, Pyre.”
I cried out in shock as Pyre lumbered toward the old man, wiping the smug look off of his face.
“It won’t do you any good, Pyre. You are surrounded by the special forces of Doyan Yoltaz’s army. You’re under arrest for treason.”
We all looked up at the monitors as three huge stealth ships unveiled themselves. My heart began to pound heavily in my ears, but Pyre seemed completely calm.
“Let them come and try to take me,” he said coolly. “Barvaa, show them what this little beauty’s got while I take care of this.”
“Yes, Yul Pyre.”
Suddenly, all the lights in the ship were cut out, all but for a red glow lining the ceiling. It took next to nothing for Pyre to knock Arke out; he was a sickly old man after all, who had been counting on Pyre to be sick as well.
The ship moved forward with startling speed, and I heard explosions sound in the air around us.
“Don’t fret, Yula! We will win!”
I could barely acknowledge Pyre’s voice as the ship sped forward as Barvaa sought a vantage point. Suddenly, there were soldiers marching into the ship. The men shouted in fury as the ship knocked them off balance, and I cried out as a pain in my abdomen suddenly brought me to my knees.
“Hang in there, Yula!” Pyre’s voice said to me. But the agony was overwhelming.
I crawled under the dash of the control panel, where Barvaa was working his hardest to avoid enemy fire. From there, I was able to watch in awe as Pyre became a completely different person. He seemed immune to pain as the men came at him, shooting lasers and throwing punches at him that normally would have knocked him to the ground. But one by one, Pyre managed to disengage from combat and strip the soldiers of their weapons, until the floor was littered with the unconscious bodies of the invading soldiers.
As he did so, Barvaa had begun to fire shots toward the enemy ships, critically damaging one and aiming the guns at the other as they attempted to bring survivors from the first on board.
The third ship had turned away to flee, and Pyre took the wheel over, with vindication and fury in his eyes, to shoot them out of the air around us.
The battle was over almost as quickly as it had begun, but the whole thing felt as if it had happened in slow motion. I was shaking like a leaf by the time Pyre knelt down to check on me, where I was cowering beneath the control panel.
“It’s going to be all right, Yula,” he said, helping me to my feet gently and carrying me to the bedroom. “Let’s get you home.”
Epilogue
Captain of the Fleet Pyre Juno
“But daddy, I want to go with you!”
“You are to stay here, Tewan. With Greandol. He will make a fine partner in your mission to destroy the evil Doyan!”
Greandol laughed good-naturedly, and Ariel hugged him. “Thank you for babysitting again. I know he idolizes you. You’re the only person like him that he’s ever known.”
“I love to,” Greandol promised. I gave the boys a formal nod goodbye, then took my wife by the arm and led her to the car, where the Commander in Chief was waiting for us.
“It’s about time,” he said tersely.
“You already have the information you need,” Ariel retorted. She wasn’t the kind of woman to take any flak, and I loved her more every day for it. “So maybe stop rushing us so much. I know you’re prejudiced against the Verians, but we’re here to help you win the war, you got it?”
“Well maybe if you hadn’t been captured in the first place, it wouldn’t be so critical, would it?”
“Stop it, you two,” I growled. They were like two young children, trying to compete for importance in the Society Against Verian Fascism. Everybody was calling the organization SAFE for short, but I was still trying to dispute the acronym.
“Sorry,” the Commander mumbled.
“That’s better,” I sighed. “You can take us to the lab in peace.”
The ride was quiet until we finally got to Center Island, and Ariel put on her lab coat and led us inside.
“Doctor Landon!”
“Oh, what a surprise! I swear, everything’s on schedule.”
“That will be all, Dr. Vincent. Brian.”
I loved to see her ordering these Earthlings about, and from the grin Ariel was barely hiding on her face, I guessed she didn’t mind it much either. She had power now. True power. And we were going to use it to save her planet, at all costs.
“Now then,” Ariel said. “Today we’re going to discuss the super soldiers. Pyre here was kind enough to come along to give a demonstration. Is everybody ready to listen and learn? Because I’m not dealing with any of the same crap from last time; is that clear?”
The huge group of scientists and government officials that had gathered in the lab for the seminar mumbled that they understood, and again I felt a huge surge of pride. What could possibly be better than spending the rest of my life helping to fight the Doyan’s evil scheme right alongside the woman of my dreams? Not much.
***
“That was some seminar you gave,” I said, looking into Ariel’s deep blue eyes. Everybody had left for the day, and we were alone in the lab cleaning up. The Commander in Chief had left early, so we were going to
get a ride back home afterward.
“No different than any other seminar,” Ariel laughed.
I took the broom from her hand and dropped it to the floor.
“Maybe not, but somehow you just get more beautiful every time.”
She laughed modestly and pushed me away. “Stop it.”
But I wasn’t going to let her go that easily. She was mine.
“We still have time. You know Greandol doesn’t mind staying late.”
“Pyre…”
But her resistance stopped when I placed my lips against hers, and a soft moan escaped her lips.
“Everything flammable is put away?” she asked breathlessly.
“Yes, Yula. Everything except…”
She laughed, slapping my shoulder playfully, and we spent the rest of the night exploring each other as we had the first time we’d ever been together.
It was hard being a Verian on Earth, but as long as I helped them, they let us do as we pleased. And at that moment, I did as I pleased, again and again, delighting in the way my wife whispered my name.
“Let’s have another,” I whispered.
“What?” she asked, sitting up.
“Another child.”
Ariel grinned and brought her lips to mine.
“Nothing would make me happier than to add to this family with you.”
I grinned, mischief and pleasure on my mind.
“As you wish.”
The End
Verian Mates(Complete BOX SET(1-4)
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Cylo: Dragons Of Kelon
(Dragons Of Kelon)
By Maia Starr
CHAPTER ONE
MELODY REEVES
