by Olivia March
Helion picked up the pace, releasing Gwen’s arms to grab her ass instead. He held her steady as his hips pumped furiously into her, the friction causing a sweet burn over every inch of her channel. Gwen’s arms wrapped around him, one clutching his waist and the other his shoulders. She had a frantic grip on his hair, her hold weak but desperate in its cling, barely able to hang on as Helion frantically drove them both toward the finish.
And finally it came. Gwen screamed Helion’s name one final time as her body arched up into his, her skin red and covered in dew, her muscles clenching wildly as the orgasm hit every nerve ending in her body. All her senses heightened unbearably, her heart racing so fast she could feel it thumping against Helion’s. She heard the raggedness of their combined breathing and smelled the sweet musk of their well-pleasured skin. It was primal and beautiful and astounding.
Helion held Gwen tightly against him as his own deep pleasure came, his seed erupting from his cock in a brutal rush to splash violently into her body, filling her. His climax seemed to go on forever as his hips jerked spasmodically against her until every drop of his release was hers. Gwen’s body accepted everything Helion gave her and she gently caressed his skin as they both drifted down from the high of their climaxes. She stroked his hair gently too and relished the feeling of Helion’s breath caressing her shoulder. They drifted off to sleep like that, Gwen more content than she’d ever been.
* * * * *
Light.
It was the first thing Gwen saw when she finally managed to pry her eyes open the next morning. Sunlight filtered in through the edges of the tent, beautiful sunlight. Some days when she’d been on the run with Evelyn, the brightness of the sun had just seemed to mock her. It promised happiness and a new start, when all they’d known for months had been terror. But this sunlight… For some reason the promise of happiness seemed real now. And she knew that reason was Helion.
He wasn’t in bed with her now but he’d held her close through the night. She’d fallen asleep against him, waking only when Verdun had brought Evelyn in to be fed. Helion had even held on to her in those moments, shifting her into position and sharing the intimacy of the moment with her and her daughter.
And when Verdun took Evelyn away, Helion had ravished her again. He was always slow and unhurried at the start, building up to a thundering finish. It made Gwen wonder if this was what lovemaking felt like. It wasn’t just sex. She’d had plenty of boring, unfulfilling sex with Steven, a selfish slaking of his needs without a care for her own.
But with Helion it was so different. He saw to her needs and her desires before his own, multiple times, in fact, before he took his own release. And afterward he held her, whispering sweet-sounding words in his own language, lulling her to sleep with the beautiful sounds and the seductive heat of his body. It made her feel…treasured.
Gwen sat up slowly, grimacing as all the nocturnal activities she’d engaged in caught up with her. She’d never even known half these muscles existed and now they were all hurting at once. It was tempting to lie back down in bed but now was not the time to be lazy. There was sure to be work that needed doing and Evelyn would need to be fed and changed.
As if on cue Verdun entered the tent, carrying her precious girl. He was a natural with her, holding her with assurance. How such a brutal fighter could be so content caring for an infant was beyond her understanding. He just seemed genuinely happy to have Evie around.
“Good morning, my lady,” he said, bringing a cooing Evie to her mother. “The young miss has been bathed and changed and is ready to break her fast. And perhaps after you’ve eaten you’d like a bath as well?”
Gwen’s lips quirked wryly, gleaning from Verdun’s remark he was diplomatically telling her she looked like she’d spent the night doing the mattress tango with his boss.
“That would be wonderful, Verdun, thank you.”
After Verdun left to see about the bath, Gwen pulled down the blankets and put her sweet girl to the breast. Evie latched on eagerly, showing her approval for how much Gwen’s milk supply had increased now she was getting regular healthy meals. Evelyn was enjoying the benefits of Gwen’s improved health, her own cheeks rosy and plump and the shadows of fatigue gone from under her eyes.
Evie had also started babbling and cooing more, perhaps sensing she didn’t need to be quiet all the time now. She was even starting to get a little bit of a belly on her, something Gwen observed with delight. Her soft red hair had a healthy, clean sheen to it and she smelled sweet and fresh. All these changes were happening because Helion had found them and taken them under his wing, albeit by force at the outset.
Her protests now though seemed foolish, considering everything the Keepers had done for them. The fears she’d had that the Keepers would harm them had never even come close to being realized, just the opposite. They’d been nothing but kind in their words and deeds, even if their manner was a bit aloof. The Keepers had protected them, fed them and clothed them.
The pessimist in Gwen told her this wouldn’t last. Her mind told her Helion wouldn’t be around forever and once his mission was done he’d leave both her and Evie without a backward glance. A thirty-year-old librarian with a needy infant by another man was hardly the stuff to hold a Keeper like Helion by her side. Thanks to the invasion she also had no money, few possessions and no job. Basically she was a bum. Who would want to tie themselves to a bum?
It was especially ludicrous to imagine Helion tying himself to her. Verdun had told her Helion was royalty, son of the king of Arloren, the Keeper region he hailed from. If Keeper royalty was anything like royalty among humans, there were certain stipulations for a mate Helion would be expected to comply with. He probably needed to marry someone titled and wealthy and beautiful and most important of all…Keeper.
So what was she doing here really? She was mooning over Helion after a couple of rolls in the sack. If Helion had a last name, and Gwen was slightly ashamed to admit she hadn’t given that any thought until now, then she was practically writing it on her stationery after her name with little hearts for the I’s. She was in full head-over-heels mode and didn’t know how to turn it off.
Gwen knew how this was going to end. Well, maybe not the gory details but she knew the gist. What she needed to keep in mind was the needs of her daughter. She stroked Evie’s petal-soft cheek and smiled softly, a little sadly. The only thing Gwen was one hundred percent sure of was Evelyn needed her and no matter what it took, she had to meet those needs. If and when the Keepers removed all traces of Scourge filth, that was really only the first step. Governments around the world were in shambles, including in the United States. Millions had died and lawlessness was rampant.
She sighed again. Helion had promised to ensure their safety before sending them back out into the world. Gwen knew firsthand how much a Keeper of his word Helion was. He’d kept his word to her every time. Perhaps she just needed to have a little faith. He might not want her for a lifetime but he wasn’t as cruel as she’d first thought. He really cared about their safety. Maybe it was time to let go a little and stop trying to control everything. She’d done it for so long it was just a habit now. But the idea of letting someone else take over the reins for a while held a lot of appeal.
Humming softly to Evie, Gwen let her finish up before gently laying her on the bed to doze. Verdun would arrive soon with her bath and she wanted to grab a bite to eat before it arrived. As soon as she stood, though, she knew something was wrong. Her stomach lurched, her head spun and she barely had time to cry out before the floor was rushing up to her face. The last thing she saw was Verdun ducking into the tent, his face shocked, before everything went black.
Chapter Seventeen
Helion went out walking among his troops early that morning. He checked on injuries, listened to field reports, even had a meal with some of his officers. But through it all, it was Gwen on his mind. He’d indulged in his passion for the girl all through the night and had to leave as soon as he woke to avo
id disturbing her rest again for another round. The idea of having Gwen splayed beneath him, weak from pleasure, restrained and impaled on his cock, brought to the fore his base desire to dominate. He’d taken complete control of her last night, never releasing her until she bathed his cock with her climax and accepted his seed into her womb.
After last night he knew, with certainty, he was never going to let her go. This was no brief affair he was engaging in, to be enjoyed and forgotten. He’d never take her back to her home and let her go, not even once the city was made safe. He wanted to take this human as his mate. For almost a thousand years he’d waited for this moment, this knowledge he’d found the one he was meant to pledge himself to. And he’d finally found her on this backwater planet, far from his homeland.
Gwen was nothing like the women he’d known his entire life. She wasn’t tall and cool and graceful. But when her body had slumped beneath his, exhaustion finally getting the best of her, Helion had known no matter what the obstacles, he’d be keeping Gwen by his side forever. Her and Evelyn, whom he would raise as his daughter. Helion drifted off to sleep, remaining locked inside her, Gwen tucked securely against him. Being with her was quickly becoming an uncomfortable obsession. When he wasn’t inside her, he thought constantly about when he would be again. She was so responsive to him and her body had been made for sin.
It wasn’t only the passion, though. He watched her with her daughter, saw how loving she was, how devoted. He wanted her to commit to him with that sort of passion. Evelyn would be his daughter now, an idea that gave him so much pleasure. He’d wanted to be a father for so long. If he pledged himself to Gwen, he was basically ending his chances of producing an heir of his own. But he’d have Gwen and would be a father to Evelyn and knew deep in his soul it would be more than enough. More even than he deserved.
There would be resistance, he knew that. His people were notoriously exclusive in their matings. Though there were many different races and species in the planets surrounding the Keeper home world, Helion couldn’t think of a single Keeper male who had mated outside their race. At least, not mating that produced offspring. Outside the boundaries of their country, yes. Matches were often made across the different races of Keepers to promote good bloodlines. But an entirely different species? No.
The reaction of his parents was the primary concern. Helion was the crown prince, and though his father had many centuries of rule left before he’d consider stepping down, there were no more heirs of the direct line. When Helion failed to produce a child of his own, the crown would eventually go to an indirect line. Helion felt a twinge of guilt over this but he wouldn’t give Gwen up. He couldn’t. Gwen and Evelyn were his destiny—he could feel it.
As he made the rounds, Helion considered how to broach this issue with his father. It would require some delicacy and no little obstinacy. Both his mother and father were bound to attempt to change his mind. It would take a while to convince them he would not be swayed. As he checked on his men and got a report from Healer Nathal on injuries, he debated and discarded ideas for approaching the subject upon his return home.
“Sire, come to the tent, quickly! Lady Gwen has just collapsed!”
Helion heard Verdun in his head, Verdun’s normally calm voice tinged with fear. An uncomfortable sensation gripped Helion’s chest, a feeling he wasn’t at all used to: fear. Gwen had collapsed? Why? How? A hundred fearful thoughts scrambled his brain and he quickly ordered Healer Nathan to follow him before rushing back to his tent.
Upon arrival he saw his mate in Verdun’s arms, being carried to the bed. Clearly she’d fallen to the floor. Evelyn was on the bed as well, her chubby little arms and legs flailing, having no idea her mother was not well.
“Verdun, take the lady Evelyn. Nathal, hurry.” Helion stormed over to the bed, alarmed at how pale his mate was. A bruise was forming on her forehead—clearly she’d struck it when she fell. But why did she fall? Was he too rough on her last night? Was she in pain?
Nathal was already by Gwen’s side, his hands hovering over her body as he searched for injuries.
“I’m not very familiar with human physiology but at first glance I can see nothing amiss. The lady is much healthier now she’s been getting regular meals and plenty of rest.” Then his hands stopped over her abdomen. Helion was watching Nathal closely and saw when his hands stopped and his face blanched.
“Healer Nathal, what is it? What’s wrong with my mate?” he demanded, his voice harsh.
“My lord, I don’t know how to say this…” Nathal hesitated, amping up Helion’s anxiety to a nearly unbearable level.
“Just tell me, Healer. Is my lady ill? Injured? Dying?” The last was said with hesitation. He couldn’t accept she might be dying. He’d only just found his mate, he couldn’t lose her now.
“No, my lord, none of those. She…well…she’s with child, my lord. Only just. The life in her womb is just fledged. But the seed is strong and already it makes its presence known.”
Helion gaped at him. At first he was too shocked to even comprehend what Nathal was saying. Verdun and Nathal appeared just as taken aback as he. Humans were breeding-compatible with Keepers? And not only compatible but Gwen had taken with child after just a few couplings with him? Keeper matings could take decades, even centuries, to produce a single offspring.
“Nathal…you’re certain? That there’s a Keeper child in there? Not full human?”
Helion had to ask, though it left a bad feeling in his mouth to imagine his mate with another male so soon before meeting him. But the idea of her quickening with his child, after just a few intense couplings… He was going to be a father! And the implications for his people were staggering.
“There’s no doubt, Commander. This has never happened before, so I don’t know how this pregnancy will progress. But the soul of the child is Keeper. And strong. I could feel his presence very clearly.”
“His… A son. My son is inside the lady?”
When Nathal solemnly nodded, Helion had to lean against the bed. It was weakness but there was some excuse. So many years…so many centuries he’d longed to create his son and watch him grow. Now, after chasing the Scourge through many galaxies, he’d stumbled upon the woman who could give him everything he’d been missing in his life. It was too good to be true.
Just then Helion saw Gwen’s lashes fluttering before she opened them completely. She looked around, clearly confused at seeing the Keepers surrounding her bed. A blush crept over her face when she saw Helion, clearly remembering the evening with some embarrassment now it was daytime.
Knowing she carried his son made Helion even more savagely possessive and hot for the girl than he’d been before. She was truly his now. He had planted his seed and she had received it, making him the happiest of Keepers. Now she would marry him and he’d take her home to Arloren, away from all this death and destruction.
“Helion…what happened? Why is Nathal here?” Gwen looked confused still. “Nathal, am I sick? I fainted, didn’t I? I’ve never fainted, not once in my whole life.”
Helion hesitated, then gestured to Verdun. “Verdun, if you would take the lady Evelyn for a walk. Nathal, you stay.”
Helion waited for the room to clear, deep in thought. So many Keeper couples were childless. So many waited centuries upon centuries until maybe being gifted with just one child. The lady Gwen had not only this beautiful girl child, but a son was now quickening inside her. Clearly, human females were fertile indeed. Once others heard of this, Helion wouldn’t be surprised if the women on this planet didn’t find themselves completely besieged.
Helion walked around the bed to face Gwen, who was staring at Nathal anxiously. Helion commanded her attention immediately by moving into her line of sight. Whenever he was near, her eyes were drawn to him and no other, as if she couldn’t resist. He gently took one of her delicate hands in his, lightly stroking the smooth skin, trying to sooth her.
“Little mother, you’re not sick. Well, not really. Na
thal has examined you and he has some exciting news. You’re to be a mother again, Gwen. You and I…we’ve created a new life together.”
Gwen stared at Helion, clearly dumbfounded. “Be a mother again? Me? I can’t be a mother again—Evelyn is only a few months old. And we’ve only been intimate a few times, just in the last day! Commander, I’m sure you’re very confident in your virility but I’m not pregnant. I don’t know about Keepers but it takes weeks to know if a human woman is pregnant. You certainly can’t tell after just one day of…relations.”
Gwen looked away from Helion’s penetrating emerald eyes to look beseechingly at Nathal.
“You’re mistaken, Nathal. I promise you, humans don’t work this way. Check again.”
Nathal looked at Gwen with a bit too much sympathy in his remarkable lavender eyes.
“I can see this news distresses you, my lady, and I’m sorry for it. But I am not mistaken. The Lord Commander has definitely gotten you with child. Keeper senses are perhaps more…acute than are human doctors. When I seek inside you, I can sense the presence of your son. He’s strong and curious. You’ll have a very fine boy soon. May I ask, what’s the normal gestation for a human female?”
Gwen just gaped at him, patently still in shock. Helion could sympathize. He was deep in that state himself. He’d only just started accepting now he would have a mate to love and a daughter to raise. Having a son as well just staggered him.
“Little mother, answer Nathal.”
“I’m sorry, Nathal…human women are supposed to gestate for forty weeks. Give or take a few weeks each way. Sometimes the baby comes early or late. Evelyn was three weeks early. How…how long do Keeper women gestate?”
