by Vi Voxley
When her breathing finally evened out, Rago began to move in earnest. The warlord thrust into her with sharp, hard motions, rattling her body and the bed beneath them. Joanna could hear it slamming against the bedroom wall although she was certain it had to weigh a damn ton. Even her face felt numb when Rago picked up the pace, every thrust sending Joanna sliding on the sheets, only to be pulled back onto his cock.
"Do you want me to be gentle with you?" Rago asked, his smile telling her he already knew the answer. "Or do you want me to make you scream louder than he did?"
Joanna laughed breathlessly, hearing Eredin scoff somewhere behind her.
"I want it hard," she said, looking at Rago, mesmerized by his wondrous golden eyes. "I want you to break this bed with me."
With a satisfied grunt, Rago pulled back just a little to kneel on the bed. Then he lifted her legs up into the air, holding them spread in the air for him. The sight was truly magnificent and Joanna wished she could somehow save it into her memory.
The warlord looked fantastic like that, his eyes shining and his firm body glistening with sweat as he began to pound into her.
"Holy hell," Joanna whispered to herself, trying to hold on to the bed and to reality in general.
The position was made to break her, she was absolutely certain of that. The way Rago towered over her let him fuck her right into the bed with ease. Joanna looked on, absolutely stunned, as the warlord's muscles moved under his skin. It was a sight to see, sending thrills through her body and turning her on even more.
It seemed impossible that she could cum again so shortly after her last orgasm but there she was, once again climbing the mountain of pleasure and Rago wasn't letting her make a stroll out of it.
"Gods you're tight," the warlord murmured, "I wish you could see how incredible you look like that, with your eyes so bright it hurts to look at. Your hair messed up, your body heaving. I would give everything in the world to see you like this all the time."
Joanna had no reply to that. Rago's words went through her like a burning blade, instilling in her a deep knowledge that she was desired to the point of madness. There didn't seem to be any end to how much her fateds wanted her, how badly they needed to see her in pleasure.
And he definitely wasn't being gentle with her, just like Joanna had asked. Before, they had promised her that they'd wipe every other man from her mind and she was truly feeling it. Once more, Joanna thought she felt like a virgin experiencing sex and the pleasure it brought for the first time. Only it was so much better than what had previously qualified as the best sex she'd ever had.
Not the first-first, of course, not the teenage fumbling to find which body part went where. No, the first time Joanna felt like she was flying, when she saw stars.
With Rago fucking her, she could have counted all the stars in the damn galaxy. There existed nothing else but the ecstasy in her body, rocking her to its own crazy tune and the gorgeous man on top of her. Joanna couldn't have said where she was or when she was or even how she'd come there.
All she knew was that she never wanted to leave. That she wanted it to last forever.
Rago hit her spot right then, grinning when Joanna arched off the sheets with a desperate, broken cry. She fell back, panting as the warlord adjusted himself just a little to make sure he could do it again.
"Mercy?" he asked with a devilish grin.
"Gods, no," Joanna whispered, biting her lip when Rago thrust back into her with a savage grunt.
It felt so good that for a moment Joanna lost track of even the most basic things, like herself. Then she screamed and didn't stop crying out in pleasure as Rago adopted a ruthless rhythm, pounding into her with speed that left Joanna dizzy.
She pushed herself up on her elbows to see better. Moaning loudly, she looked at the way Rago's huge cock disappeared into her warm, wet pussy. She could barely tell if she was about to cum or was already in the throes of her climax.
It became more obvious when Rago pulled her closer to him, bending her almost in double and forcing her to lay back to allow the warlord to lay on top of her. Rago kissed her deeply while Joanna moaned, the hard fucking taking her across the edge once more.
"Yes," she screamed when Rago pulled back from the kiss to hold himself up and not crush her with his weight.
Her second orgasm crashed into her like a tidal wave, taking every bit of her sense and voice with it. Even her sight faded as sparks danced before her eyes, the orgasm being so intense it nearly knocked her out.
Joanna's voice broke as her body tensed up again, trembling as she came down from the high more slowly this time. Truly, she was at her limits, yet every inch of her was filled with pleasure Joanna couldn't remember ever feeling before.
Rago kept thrusting into her, fast and hard, until he cummed too with a grunt that told Joanna he had to have been feeling at least as incredible as she was. The warlord spilled his hot seed into her pussy, groaning deeply as he leaned to kiss her, softly and passionately this time. Joanna could barely answer the kiss, so exhausted she felt like she was going to fall asleep right then and there.
After giving her a moment to relax, Rago pulled out of her and climbed away to give her room.
Joanna welcomed that. The heat of their fucking had been so hot that she desperately ached for something cold. Luckily the balcony was right there.
With difficulty, she managed to motivate herself to walk over there and stare at the night sky she'd never seen before. Her legs were still shaking but Joanna forced them to obey as she climbed out of the bed and made her way to the balcony.
Leaning against the doorframe, she smiled at her two fateds. Eredin and Rago were still lying on the bed, as far from each other as they possibly could be, but not actively hostile to each other anymore.
"You are stunning," Rago said softly and Joanna was forced to believe him.
Turning away from them, she looked over the darkening world. The garden she'd immediately fallen for swayed in a soft breeze below her. The marble was cool under her bare feet and even the fact that she was dressed just in torn panties and a bra didn't take away from the beauty of the moment.
Even the violet pattern on her arm didn't scare her that much in that moment. It felt like she'd come home for the first time ever and everything was inexplicably and without true explanation just right. The way it was supposed to be.
Corolon wasn't the most welcoming world out there, that was for sure. She'd experienced it clearly with the Lord Templar. It wasn't the most peaceful either, being the home world of a warrior race. And her personal life was messed up and complicated in a way Joanna couldn't even begin to explain.
Standing there in the moonlight, keenly aware her two fateds weren't taking their eyes off her, Joanna didn't care about any of it, though.
This is absolutely crazy, she thought. I am not making rational decisions, but hey, none of them ever got me an iota of the happiness and excitement I've felt today.
It seemed to Joanna the world beyond the balcony beckoned her, as did the bed and the two warlords behind her.
I think I would really like it here. I think I could actually stay.
Twelve
Rago
The healer waited for them in the morning.
Mareon Meriveta definitely didn't look too happy about being made to wait, but Rago assumed it had more to do with the Lord Templar accompanying him than anything else.
After the night he'd spent with Joanna, Rago had come downstairs to welcome the healer to his home, thinking nothing could spoil the day. His fated had agreed to make the bond between them real.
There couldn't have been a more hopeful sign that she'd already decided in the favor of staying on Corolon altogether. With that in his heart, Rago felt better than he had for ages. Even the dark cloud of his life's work being squandered didn't dim it much.
Seeing the Lord Templar brought it all back.
He came down first, seeing Mareon sitting in the large lounge he'd had pre
pared for the meeting. Lord Greole was pacing the room like a caged animal, looking like he'd been forced to come there.
Ignoring his irritating glare as soon as Rago entered the room, he greeted the healer first.
"Mareon," Rago said. "It's good that you could come. My fated will be down in a moment and you can put all of our minds at ease."
The healer nodded, his golden-green eyes watching him sharply. He was a distant relative of Rago's, so far down the family line he couldn't even guess at all the twists and turns. Many lesser branches still maintained the right to carry the Merive name, although they had to modify it to show their ancestry wasn't as grand. No one thought less of them for that, but the strength of the main line was undeniable.
The golden eyes weren't just a pretty sight for the females. The body-morphing skills were only just starting to gather momentum again and Rago was determined to keep it going.
"Of course," Mareon said, regarding him. "Is your fated, the Terran female, alright? Has she suffered any harm so far? The message you sent me didn't say much."
"Yes, I would like to have the answers to those questions as well," the Lord Templar cut in, coming closer. "We need to determine if the girl is a danger."
Rago had wanted to wait for Eredin. The relations between the two families weren't good despite the best efforts of their kings, the heads of both royal houses. Centuries, ages even, of bad blood and feuds and pointless posturing weren't that easy to forget. The kings themselves were well aware that it would take a few generations to start to heal the wounds the Haverins had dealt to themselves.
Before their Terran queen, the thought of two members of the main lines coming together even for something as important as a fated had been unthinkable.
So Rago had wanted to let Eredin take the lead with his uncle. No one benefited if he started a new clash between the two families and that was exactly what the Lord Templar seemed to be trying to achieve.
Then the word "danger" left Doraton's lips and Rago pushed all notions of patience aside.
Mareon rose from his seat and backed away, recognizing the sign of trouble at once. Doraton simply glared at Rago like he was some fearful boy instead of one of the most proficient fighters in all the realm. It figured, of course. The Lord Templar thought all Merives were base bastards without the skills and achievements of his family.
"You're a man of many words, Lord Templar," Rago said coldly, drawing his sword. "I dare you to say that again. In my home, where I didn't give you permission to be."
"Put that thing away," Doraton laughed. "I'm here on the business of the kings. They have tasked me with seeing to it that the Terran didn't bring a plague to our world. You will not stop me from doing my duty."
"I don't believe a word of that," Rago replied. "I've met the kings. Recently, in fact. I do not believe they'd agree with you and by the way, Lord Greole, I can confirm your lie very easily. You're going too far. Eredin was right about you. It's been a while since you spoke with the voice of the gods and started preaching your own truths."
"Listen to you," Doraton snapped, a darkness in his golden eyes. "Defending that little whore against the best interests of your own people, I will have the order remove her if you –"
The Lord Templar jumped back when Rago stepped forward, the sword still bared in his hand.
"Leave," he stated simply. "This is the end of you, Lord Greole. It's clear the order Eredin and I so badly wanted to join is not what we thought it was. I should thank you. I see now we have a much bigger task in front of us than becoming Templars. We need to cleanse the order of you and restore what you would make of us."
The Lord Templar bristled but the sick gleam of truth shone in his eyes, like he enjoyed getting caught with something. Perhaps it had been a while since he'd had a real adversary. The Templars were powerful beyond measure and claiming to know the will of the gods made them untouchable, even by the warlords of their armies.
It wasn't the first time Rago felt uneasy with the fact someone could run around so unchecked, answering to none.
"You haven't heard, have you?" Lord Greole hissed at him, backing away. "The Orochis have been noted. Whole fleets are coming our way to take back what is theirs and use the Orb against us. You brought us a curse, boy. She will doom us all."
Rago looked at him with disgust.
"And what exactly are you suggesting?" he asked calmly, still walking toward the Lord Templar. "That we give the Orochis their weapon back? Even if we could, which is not possible as the Orb is gone.
“Or that perhaps we surrender before their wrath? Not only are you unfit to lead the order, you are unfit to be a Haverin if you think I will be intimidated by the scavengers."
With a roar, Lord Greole drew his sword but Rago was quicker. It took him two quick steps to get close to killing range but he stayed his hand. Instead, with one smooth motion, he disarmed the Lord Templar and knocked him back against the wall, his blade keeping the man pinned there.
You've grown lazy and old. Our people aren't kind to that. Since when do let men like you lead us? Who follows a man who could be disarmed so easily?
Stepping closer until his face was inches from Lord Greole's, Rago said with perfect calm:
"Leave, Templar. We are coming for your order and your rule. As for Joanna, if I ever see you around her again, I will not hesitate to kill you."
"This is mutiny," Doraton whispered, his eyes burning with a fanatic's stubbornness. "This is an uprising against gods."
"No," Rago replied, pulling back. "Just you."
He watched the man tidy up his clothing and leave his home with one last glare that told Rago it was far from over.
Returning to the hall, he found Mareon waiting for him, seated again now.
"You'll get in trouble, Rago," the healer warned him.
"I will do what I must," he replied. "So will Eredin. I should have trusted him before. Now Lord Greole has gone and made it personal."
Mareon seemed to hesitate.
"Rago," he began, sighing when he clearly couldn't find a good way to express his concern. "What if I find something? If I determine a danger about her?"
"Then you will tell Eredin and I, and us alone," Rago said, forcing the healer to cower away from him, pressing himself against the seat. "No matter what happens in this room today, not one word of it to anyone until we know what's going on. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Lord Merive," Mareon replied, although his eyes were doubtful.
Hearing steps on the stairs, Rago frowned, asking in a hushed voice.
"Do you think there might be something wrong with her?"
Mareon looked pitiful in that moment. His shoulders were slouched and it seemed he, too, had already made up his mind.
"I need to see first, Lord Merive," he said, "but from what you've told me, it's a dangerous alien life form that chose your fated as its host.
"Forgive me for saying this but when has that ever been a good sign?"
Thirteen
Eredin
He knew something was off the second he laid eyes on Rago.
"Speak," he ordered the other warrior.
Rago motioned to the healer sitting on the sofa, standing when Joanna entered, smiling like all the light in the world was hidden inside her.
"That is Mareon," Rago said. "He is the best healer I know. He's come to look at Joanna's hand."
As Joanna went to greet the healer, Eredin gave Rago a hard look.
"The real issue here," he said. "What happened? We were only up there five minutes without you. How could you have already made trouble for us? I can tell it from the way you look."
"I created no trouble," Rago replied, shrugging. "The Lord Templar came by. Apparently my guards let him in when he told them he was with the healer."
Doraton. Damn him. I don't want that man anywhere near Joanna.
"And?" Eredin asked, unable to hide the displeasure from his voice.
"And nothing," Rago replied. "I politely aske
d him to leave."
Eredin felt his lips curl into a smile as he saw a similar expression on Rago.
"How polite were you?" he asked.
"Not very," Rago admitted. "I told him I'd kill him the next time he even thought to come near Joanna."
"Good man."
"He called her a potential danger."
Now that wiped the smile from Eredin's face. He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. Further, Joanna had sat next to the healer and rolled up the sleeve of the tight white shirt they'd given her to wear. The pattern was visible on her arm.
Could it really pose a threat? To her? To others?
"I commend your self-control," Eredin said. "I think I would have cut him down where he stood. I've told you for years, that man is the epitome of everything that is wrong with the order. And now we've been denied initiation.
“I always imagined I would be the one who brought that bastard to justice."
Rago had an odd look on his face.
"I agree," he said, to Eredin's surprise. "Everything he said this morning convinced me that you've been telling the truth for years. That man would not listen to gods if I believed they actually talked to him."
Now that was news and definitely the good sort. Eredin had no problem doing things on his own and fighting against the whole world if he had to, but it was damn comforting to hear Rago had finally come to the same conclusion. It wasn't as much his support Eredin appreciated, but rather the fact that he didn't have to fight Joanna's other fated every step of the way.
Her happiness was his first priority now and to have Rago on his side meant they could be a better shield for her, to protect her from all harm together.
"There's more, Eredin," Rago went on and his features were twisted. "The Orochis are coming. No doubt the scouts got the word out. Back on the Terran ship, I was thinking they left too abruptly when they saw the Orb break. Only they would have, wouldn't they? They saw that it didn't kill her and that was the moment they ran.
