by K. D. Jones
“Where are we?” She looked around, worried they were still putting on a show, but the trees were giving them good coverage and they were far enough from everyone that they wouldn’t be heard.
“I have to have you again, Ava. I’ve been thinking about you and your lovely body contantly.”
“We shouldn’t, we’re here to help these people.” She moaned, tilting her head back to let him nuzzle her neck. His hands were everywhere on her body. He masterfully unfastened her top and peeled it away, lowering his head to blow warm breath over the exposed tops of her breasts.
“Just let me taste you.”
It was naughty and she felt guilty, but she needed him. Her body was lighting up with sparks, and her breasts were heavy and sensitive. She giggled when he growled with frustration over trying to find the clasp of her bra in the back.
“It’s in the front,” she told him, smiling at his confusion. He quickly reached between her mounds and undid the clasp.
“So beautiful.” He cupped her slight breasts in his big hands and brought his head down to suck a nipple into his hot mouth. She moaned at the strong suction; with each pull she could feel it all the way down in her pussy.
“I know we have people waiting on us, but I need you. Seeing so much damage and brutality, I just want to feel something more. You make me feel alive, Ava. Please let me have you.”
She couldn’t deny him, she wanted to feel alive too. Ava didn’t want foreplay just then; she wanted to feel him deep inside of her. She reached for the fastenings of his pants. She would have preferred they both get completely naked, but there was no time for that.
AshOR’s hands worked much faster and more confidently. He had her pants unfastened and shoved down to her feet before she could open his. She tried to get her pants legs off past her shoes, but only managed to free one leg. It would have to do because she finally had her hand wrapped around his massive, hard cock. She squeezed it gently, loving the feel of him and how she could make him lose control.
“Goddess!” AshOR lifted her up, keeping her back against the tree.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and it lined them up perfectly. He entered her in one deep thrust, to the root.
“Fuck me!” she growled out. Was that her voice?
“I plan to,” AshOR told her as he kissed her hard, his tongue matching the thrusts of his manhood inside of her.
She felt more alive than she had her entire life. She could hear faint sounds of the forest, and the smell of fresh rain on leaves assaulted her senses. She reveled in the feel of the man with her—her man, her AshOR.
“I am not going to last. I need you too much.” AshOR released her lips and kissed his way down to her shoulder.
“Please—I need—”
He reached between them and used his thumb to stroke her hardened clit. It was exactly what she needed to push her over the edge. “AshOR!” she screamed as she came hard.
“You. Are. Mine!” AshOR bit gently into her shoulder, without breaking the skin, while he pumped his seed inside of her.
It seemed like they were holding on and convulsing against one another for a long time, but in truth it was probably only a few minutes. He softened a little and pulled out of her, both of them moaning from the loss of him filling her.
He looked down into her eyes. “I missed you.”
She giggled. “I could tell that.” Then, as some of her euphoria cleared and her mind could work, she thought about something else. “Uh, AshOR.”
“Yes?” He nibbled her chin.
“You just claimed me.”
“I know.” He moved back and began to snap his pants. She watched him, confused but excited.
“Shouldn’t you have asked me first?” She wasn’t sure if she was happy, or angry that he’d taken another decision away from her. Maybe she was feeling a little bit of both. If she thought about what it meant to be his mate, she really liked the idea. She just didn’t want it to be a last minute, impulse decision on his part, which he would later regret. She was being a wimp about it because she didn’t want him to answer at that moment. They both needed time to think about what this meant for them.
“We’ll talk about this later.” She pulled her clothes back together. She didn’t wait for him as she started heading back out of the forest with AshOR close behind her. For better or worse, they would have to face their fates together now.
Chapter 15
She was right, he had claimed her without asking first, but he didn’t regret doing it. AshOR wanted her for his own, and all other thoughts were lost to his deep need to keep her with him always. He had always made fun of other males who allowed their honor to be overridden and claimed their mates so quickly. Now he understood what drove them to do it. He wanted to pull Ava back to the trees and take her again and again. He would keep making her find her release until she agreed to be his, even if that meant he made love to her until it was morning. Unfortunately, there was no time for that right now.
He watched his brother approach him with a frown on his face. “What is wrong?”
“I spoke with Leader Toro. There are reports of a Morin shuttle and several warships, which were hit in the initial battle and went down near the mountains. At first it was believed they were destroyed, but movement has been spotted and heat signatures showed for a few minutes.”
Kitana!
“What does that mean?” Ava asked, coming up to stand next to AshOR.
AshOR growled when the other males stepped in close enough to take in her scent. He didn’t give a crap what they thought, but he didn’t want Ava embarrassed.
TylOR looked down at her. “There are Morins on this planet.”
Ava shivered, and AshOR couldn’t stop himself from taking her into his arms. She had never faced a Morin up close; she’d only seen the destruction they left behind. She was gentle, caring with those who were injured, but strong enough to do what needed to be done. He wanted to protect her from the ugliness of what the Morins truly were.
“I’ll take a few of my fighters out and search for the shuttle. We have a heat signature to go by, so that will help.” AshOR felt his mate stiffen in his arms.
“I know this has to be done, but I wish it didn’t have to be you,” she admitted softly.
He looked down into her worried face. She cared about him that was easy to see. It also made it harder for him to leave her. His heart beat for her and her alone. “Excuse us for a moment.” He didn’t look at the other males, but waited until they gave them some space. Then he took her face in his hands.
“I have a job to do.”
She closed her eyes, and he saw a single tear trail down her cheek. He used his thumb to wipe it away. “I know.”
“You should also know that I would do everything I can to come back to you. I finally have a mate, and I am going to keep her safe.”
She opened her eyes and looked at him with longing. No female had ever looked more beautiful to him. Thank you, Goddess, for giving me such a gift.
“I want you to go back up to the transport where you will be safer,” AshOR told her, but she was already shaking her head at him.
“No, I’m staying right here to help the medics.”
“Ava…”
“I have a job to do as well. I’ll stay here and help treat the injured and clean up the debris. You go get those bastards, but make sure you come back to me in one piece.”
“Stay safe, mate.”
He leaned down and kissed her gently, but she wanted a deeper, harder kiss. He couldn’t help but give her what she wanted. She was everything to him. He let her go and watched as she went back to the medic tents. Ava was his mate, and it pleased him that she didn’t deny it when he said it.
“Ready to discuss strategy now?” TylOR asked coming up behind him.
“Yes.”
*****
Ava felt her heart racing as she watched AshOR’s warship leave the ground and take off into the sky. Damn him for becoming so vitall
y important to her. She glanced over at TylOR when he came to stand next to her.
“He’ll be fine. He’s one of the best warriors we have,” TylOR reassured her.
She smiled. “Are you just saying that because he’s your brother?”
“No. I wouldn’t have allowed him to lead the search if I thought he wasn’t the best. The Morins are vicious and cruel. A weak leader would not be able to overcome them. Plus, because he’s my brother I wouldn’t send him in a situation I didn’t think he could handle.”
She nodded. The two men might have been raised apart and fight all the time, but they loved each other and they were family. She wanted to be a part of that family, too. Truthfully, she already was, since AshOR had mated her.
“There’s something you should know.”
“AshOR mated you. I know. He should have done that before, but at least he is finally acting as he should. Elizabeth is going to be thrilled to have you as a sister. I know that I am.”
She felt heat in her cheeks. “Thanks. I just hope he comes back so I can yell at him for claiming first and asking later.”
TylOR chuckled. “As you humans say, you can give him hell.”
She smiled. “Oh I will.” As long as he came back.
*****
AshOR had been gone about an hour when they came upon the first downed ship. It was a two-person warship and the pilot had clearly died on impact. Morins never traveled alone, so there had to be another warship somewhere close by.
“Commander, I have a heat signature two miles to the north. It’s flickering in and out.”
“Let’s get them.” AshOR went on foot with two of his lieutenants while two other lieutenants stayed in their warships, to look for the Morins from above.
This was kind of like being back on the Colonial planet and hunting in the jungles. His heart was pumping and his senses were on full alert. Hunting was the one thing that his father had taken the time to do with him. He was just a young boy when he begged his father to take him on his first hunt. He hadn’t been prepared for all the blood and violence. His father was not about to coddle him, though. He was very firm and unbending.
“You kill something, you must be prepared for the ugly consequences.” It was his father’s favorite saying. He had a love-hate relationship with the male, and the day he died was the one and only time his father had told him that he was glad to have AshOR as a son.
He shook off thoughts of his father and concentrated on the prey he was now hunting. He knelt down and looked at the crumbled leaves. There on the corner was a spot of yellow goo. He leaned down and took a whiff. “Morin blood.” He hit his comm link. “I’ve got a blood trail. Lieutenants RoRI and LomAN, fly toward the mountains. I want this guy to think that we are leaving the area.”
He watched as the warships above flew past, heading away from his location. He moved quietly forward, trying not to let any twigs or leaves crunch under his boots.
One of his lieutenants waved and pointed to the left. He must have spotted something. AshOR sniffed the air; there was a stronger hint of foul blood from that direction. They were in the best position possible at the moment, downwind of the enemy, so he signaled his lieutenants to halt before creeping forward by himself.
AshOR moved slowly, pausing only when he found more evidence of Morin blood. It was a huge amount this time. The Morin wouldn’t live much longer. He had to get to him quickly if he wanted to get some answers from him. Time was imperative.
He heard a rasping, gurgling sound, like some wounded creature struggling to breath. Tracks on the ground showed that the creature had fallen and couldn’t get back up, so it was dragging itself through the jungle. AshOR picked up speed. There, to the right, the Morin was sitting up against a tree trunk. He approached the prone body and kicked the male’s boot.
The Morin struggled to lift his arm with the weapon in it, but AshOR easily kicked it out of his hand. He hit his comm link. “Found the stray.”
“Katieran, you will die.” The Morin didn’t even open his eyes as he made the threat.
“I’m not Katieran, and you’re the one dying. Your comrades left you here to die alone. How does that make you feel?”
“Back off, scum!”
AshOR kept some distance between them. “Your people killed off most of our females and infected us with mutations. Now you think you have the right to destroy other nations and take their females?”
“Why shouldn’t we have females? We are dying and need them to keep our race alive.”
“You did that to yourselves. Your people were so intent on infecting mine with your virus you ended up subjecting yourselves to a disease with no cure.”
“It pleases you to know that none of my kind will survive this, doesn’t it?”
“It is justice.”
The Morin shut his eyes. AshOR thought he had stopped breathing. He kicked his leg again to wake him. “Don’t die yet, I have some questions for you.”
“I have no answers.”
AshOR kneeled down. “Death is too good for you and your kind.”
“You know nothing of my kind. We were once a proud and strong people.”
“That’s not what I want to know. Tell me this, Morin, where did the shuttle go?”
The Morin shook his head. “I don’t know.”
AshOR pulled out a small medic pack from inside his coat pocket. “I can keep you alive for torture. Is that what you want?”
“Leave me be.”
“Where’s the shuttle?”
The Morin was breathing harder. “I only know that they took some damage to their ship and had to land to make repairs. They were supposed to pick me up but never showed.”
AshOR thought about everything he knew about the Morins. They liked to take cover and hide. Most likely they would head toward the nearest city and blend in with the background until it was time to leave.
“How about the cloaking? How do your transports suddenly disappear? Come on, for the sake of who your people once were, do the right thing.”
The Morin didn’t say anything, but he glanced upward. AshOR looked up and saw the moon shining brightly even though it wasn’t completely dark yet. When he looked back down at the Morin, he was barely breathing.
“I cannot betray my people.”
AshOR looked down at the male and saw not just a hated enemy; he saw a soldier following orders. He could relate to that. He didn’t want to, he didn’t want to look upon a foe and see similarities at all. Maybe all that separated his people from the Morins was their strong belief in the Goddess and all she stood for.
“I have...little time. I ask for mercy,” the Morin rasped out closing his eyes.
Mercy? The one thing that the Morins had never shown any species that it encountered. But AshOR wasn’t like them; he was a Colonial and an honorable warrior. He stood up and aimed his weapon at the Morin.
“Mercy is granted.” He shot the Morin in the forehead, killing him immediately. “May the Goddess also show mercy on your soul.”
“Commander AshOR!” One of his men called out, running up to him through the woods.
“He’s dead. Were you able to get anything from the Morin warship?”
“There were schematics of satellites on the corners of the transports.”
“For what purpose? A weapon?”
“No, it looks it sends out some kind of signal.”
He turned to look at the dead Morin, then back up at the moon. “Could these satellites be used to help cloak the transport ship?”
“Yes, but it would need a larger satellite to be able to cloak the warships and shuttles.”
“The moons are large satellites, are they not?” AshOR already knew the answer. “We need to go back toward the city.”
“Why would they risk being seen?”
“There are enough forests surrounding the city that they could land and hide themselves. At the same time it would be close enough they could keep an eye on those looking for them.” He made hi
s way back to where he had left his warship. AshOR prayed he would be in time to keep the other Morins from doing any more damage.
Chapter 16
Commander TylOR came by to check on Ava several times. He assigned a lieutenant to guard her despite her refusal, and warned her to stay within the city limits. He also let her know that AshOR was safe and heading back in their direction. She breathed a sigh of relief. She would have to get used to being a warrior's wife and the fact that they often put their lives at risk. She wanted to be there for him and support him, even when his job was dangerous.
The medics were helping the volunteer warriors carry the injured inside the main building where the medical facilities were located. She was boxing up the supplies to take with them when a clamor of shouting and crying outside the tent got her attention.
Ava went outside to see what was going on. The sun was setting; it was starting to get dark pretty fast and a little bit cold. A lieutenant ran by her in a hurry. She turned to the lieutenant who was assigned to guard her.
“Excuse me, what’s going on?”
“One of the local young is missing. We are searching for him now.”
A child was missing? “How can I help?”
The lieutenant pointed to the building. “Go on inside where it is safe. I will then be able to join the search for the boy.”
She shook her head. “No way. I’m here to help, and I’ll just search without you unless you let me come with you.”
The male said a bunch of words that didn’t translate, so she assumed that he was cussing up a storm in his language. She held firm, crossing her arms over her chest, and he finally caved.
“Fine, but stay with the search party and don’t wander off. The mother says the young was playing with his friends close to the trees the last time she saw him. All the other young have been accounted for except for this one.”
“What’s his name?” Ava had to run to keep up with the man’s long legs.
He looked down at her in confusion. “I don’t know.”
