WarlordUnarmed

by Cynthia Sax

  She returned to cleaning his wound and a shudder rolled over his unconscious body. “I know this hurts, hon,” she cooed, seeking to soothe him. “But it has to be cleaned. I can’t risk your wound becoming infected.”

  She impulsively pressed a quick kiss by his wound, a loving action she’d seen mothers take with their children’s injuries. “To make you heal faster.” Her face heated.

  “I don’t know if that works,” she shared, pouring more of their precious water on her clean left sleeve. “But I’m not taking any chances. I need you to survive.”

  Gale swiped the blood off Murad’s cheek. A thin red line stretched from his ear to his top lip, its source unknown. “I always wanted to have someone kiss my wounds better and I owe you that much and more.” She smacked her lips against his, his breath reassuringly warm. “You saved my life, Warlord.”

  Gale bathed and kissed every cut, learning his body with her fingers and lips. She examined the dip at the base of his neck, the defined ridges of muscle stretching across his abdomen, the trail of fine black hair running from his navel to the waistband of his leg coverings.

  She picked up one of his large hands and grazed her fingertips over the peculiar round, silver scars on his knuckles, the shapes too perfect to be random. “Were you punished as a child also, Murad?” She frowned fiercely, angered by that thought. “What could you have possibly done to deserve this torture?” She kissed each scar, licking the salt off his skin, laving the marks with her tongue in a whimsical attempt to erase them, to erase his pain.

  “Whatever you did, I doubt your actions warranted that punishment.” She shook her head. “I, however, deserve whatever reprimand you deem to deliver, no matter how harsh.” Gale removed the fastening tool from her pocket and she ran her fingers over the warmed metal, the handle rubbed smooth by Murad’s touch. The device was an extension of him, her beautiful stranger, her deadly Warlord.

  “I knew I shouldn’t take this, yet I did.” She had to force herself to set the fastening tool on the ripped seat beside Murad, as she didn’t want to part with the device. “I couldn’t help myself. It belonged to you and…” She shrugged, unable to articulate why she needed to have a piece of him.

  “And now I’ll pay the price. You said you wouldn’t return me.” She gazed at Murad’s handsome face, his expression peaceful, serene, almost loving. “But once you hear of my…ummm…imperfection, you will. They all return me.” Gale winced, dreading that confrontation, seeing the betrayal, disgust, anger in her Warlord’s eyes.

  “Let’s not think of that right now.” She rubbed her throbbing right thigh, her injury concealed by her pink leather leg-coverings. Concealed.

  “If I ache.” She scanned Murad’s larger thighs, recalling how he’d protected her with his bigger body. “You must be in even more pain.” Alarm filled her.

  “You might have damage I can’t see.” Gale skimmed her fingers over the waistband of his leg coverings. “I should.” She swallowed hard, her hands trembling. “I should remove these to ensure you don’t have any hidden wounds.”

  She studied his face, yearning for any indication he agreed. He remained still, his eyes closed. I have to do this. “Forgive me.”

  Gale removed the shattered communicator from the strap around his waist. “You fixed my ship. You might be able to fix this.” She set the device beside the fastening tool she’d taken from him.

  “Next.” Gale drew a deep breath and unfastened his leg coverings. She peeled back the tight leather, revealing more tanned skin and black hair, the short curls growing denser. “Stars. You’re a well-built male.”

  Murad’s hips were narrow and powerful, perfectly suited to pump relentlessly into a very appreciative female. She bent over and kissed the bruise on his right hipbone, the musk of his body stronger, more appealing.

  “I shouldn’t look at you like this, feel this desire.” Guilt edged Gale’s arousal. Murad was unaware of her perusal, her touching. “I should examine you as a medic would, quickly, efficiently.”

  She tugged the leg coverings down and inhaled sharply, her intentions blown to bits by what she saw. Even flaccid, his cock was impressive, his shaft long and thick with an interesting ridge of flesh near his base.

  “You’re very well-built.” Gale licked her lips, staring at him, yearning to stroke him into hardness, to thread her fingers through his black private curls, to cup his balls, to take that huge cock inside her. He wouldn’t be able to hurt her, reject her, return her. She’d be in complete control.

  That would be wrong. Gale closed her eyes and counted to ten, fighting her desire.

  “I want you, Murad,” she admitted, the savagery of her feelings scaring her. “I want you so much.” Gale yanked the leg coverings to his ankles. “But I won’t take advantage of you.”

  She ran her hands quickly over his firm ass, his powerful thighs, his scarred knees and muscular calves, all of him hard, fit and overwhelmingly male. The leg coverings had protected Murad, his skin bruised, but not torn.

  “Before you return me, we’ll have that rutting you promised me,” Gale warned him, her pussy wet and her nipples tight. “And that one rutting will have to be enough.” She stroked her fingers over his bruised hipbone, back and forth, back and forth. “So make it good. I want to feel your big cock for days afterward.” She pulled the tight leather garment up and grappled with the flaps, unable to refasten them, the Warlord’s damaged body too swollen.

  “You’ll know I saw you naked.” Gale sighed. “And this will be one more thing you’ll punish me for.” She glanced at the fastening tool she’d taken from him and then at Murad’s partially covered groin, her fate sealed with those two actions.

  “It was worth it though.” Gale leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, tasting salt and blood and a unique flavor she suspected was pure Murad. “And I can’t worry about the future right now.”

  She glanced around her at what remained of her ship, her home. “We made quite an entrance on your planet…if this is your planet.”

  The escape pod had cracked open upon landing. Some of the viewscreens were stuck in the dirt across the field, their surfaces fragmented with cracks, and the broken items she’d collected for spare parts were scattered over the ground, the remnants of her broken past bending the tall yellow grass. A red rock outcropping shaded the crash site from the midday sun, the air hot and dry.

  Gale inventoried their water containers. One had broken long ago, the interior dry. She’d emptied another container cleaning Murad’s wounds, leaving three filled. Not enough water.

  “We need water and help.” Gale stood, wincing at the pain shooting up her legs.

  “And I can’t bring you with me to find it.” She glanced at Murad. He sat scarily still and completely vulnerable with no defense against any possible attack.

  “I won’t leave you like this.” She unfastened her body armor and draped it over the Warlord, covering as much of him as possible, his head and limbs remaining exposed.

  “I’ll block you in.” Gale dragged the broken replicator toward Murad, her muscles straining, perspiration dripping down her back. She stepped back and surveyed her work. The replicator provided a knee-high barrier that any hungry animal, hostile humanoid or killer beast could climb over.

  “It has to be higher.” Gale gripped a broken cooling machine, bent her knees and heaved the heavy rectangular device on top of the replicator, her back screaming a protest. “That’s better,” she huffed, her lungs burning. “But they can still get to you.”

  Gale tossed an empty water container over the cooling machine and placed a full container within Murad’s reach. “If I don’t return, if something kills me.” She shivered, not knowing what kind of creatures existed on the planet. “You drink that and stay alive, understand?” She pressed her lips to Murad’s, needing to touch him one more time.

  “I’m blocking you inside.” Gale worked quickly, stacking debris higher and wider, ignoring her aching body and her dry mouth
. She erected a solid wall of objects across the opening of the escape pod, her height preventing her from sealing the space entirely, the gap worrying, but unavoidable.

  “That’s the best I can do, Murad.” She wiped the grime off her pink leg coverings. “You’ll be fine,” she called to the hidden Warlord. “And I’ll be back soon.” I hope.

  Gale scooped up the empty water container and hiked away from the crash site, unarmed and on a strange planet, her determination to care for Murad stronger than her fear.

  “Guns might not be a help,” she told herself, feeling naked and vulnerable without her weapons. “Murad disarmed me easily.”

  Tall yellow grass bowed in the breeze, silent companions bobbing their agreement. The thick curtain of vegetation severely limited her view, Gale able to see only what was directly in front of her.

  “He could have removed my weapons and forced me to return to his ship at any time. Instead he tried to save my home, risking his life.” She stomped on the blades of grass, creating a trail she could follow back to the crash site. “He almost died.” She gulped dry, oxygen-rich air, no one having ever put her wishes first.

  A yellow-and-black insect buzzed near her face. It rubbed its multiple legs together, the action emitting a strange humming sound. Gale waved her hand, swatting it to the side.

  “Why would a Warlord do that?” She scrunched her nose as she climbed up a rock outcropping, seeking higher ground and better visibility. Sweat trickled down her spine, her leather suit soaked with moisture, the sun’s rays beating relentlessly on her shoulders. “Was it to please his brother? Zeta? Me?” Clouds floated across a blue sky. The possible explanations for Murad’s actions were endless. “No, not to please me. He doesn’t know me.”

  She gazed at the rolling plains. No humanoid structures jutted out of the flat soil. No ships flew overhead. Massive four-legged beasts grazed peacefully in a herd to her far right, their horns short and curled inward, their hides the same color as the grass. A stream wound to her left, the sun reflecting off the water.

  Gale turned, scanning more yellow grass and more blue sky. “We’re alone.” She opened her hot, suffocating suit, revealing the thin undergarments she wore under the tight leather. Cooler air brushed over her body and she released a deep sigh of relief.

  She tilted her head back. A flying creature circled high in the sky, its great wings extended, a warning of the potential dangers.

  “Get your ass in gear, Gale. Murad is alone and defenseless.”She hurried down the rocky slope, bewildered as to why she cared about a male destined to return her. Pebbles tumbled before her dusty boots, the sound shockingly loud.

  “I care because he risked his life for me,” Gale rationalized. “And because I find him attractive.” She headed toward the stream, swinging the water container, attempting to appear as large and menacing as possible. “I’m feeling gratitude and lust and that’s all.”

  * * * * *

  “Gale.” Murad jerked awake, his head pounding painfully and his arms empty. Moonlight shone through a crack in the structure, Murad recognizing the dual moons of his home planet. That’s all he recognized, most of the space around him shrouded in darkness. Where on Chamele 3 am I? And, more importantly, where is my gerel?

  “Gale,” he repeated, his voice hoarse and weak, as though he’d been ill. He breathed in, smelling her sweet scent, and some of his panic eased. Why isn’t she answering? Murad stretched out his fingers, searching for her, his vision adjusting to the low light.

  “Gale,” he called louder, his throat raw and his lips dry.

  “You’re awake.” Gale moved to his side and grasped his left hand, her skin warm and soft. “Thank the stars.” Moisture glistened on her cheeks, her blonde hair a beacon in the darkness, his guiding light. “It has been three sunsets and I thought…I thought you might never waken.”

  Three sunsets. Murad pulled her to him, her breasts smacking against his chest. She gasped, but didn’t protest, folding into him as though she had been made for him.

  “Where are we?” He slid his palms down her back, feeling more bare skin and a flimsy strap of fabric tied under her shoulders. His body hardened, his cock unhampered by leg coverings. “Why am I naked?”

  Gale wiggled. He gripped her tighter, holding her to him, and she stilled, huffing her aggravation. “I had to care for you, hon. I didn’t do anything else.”

  Ahhh…but she wanted to. Murad grinned, hearing the defensiveness in her voice. “You had to care for me. We didn’t land at the base.”

  “We landed in the middle of nowhere.” Gale tipped a container to his lips and he drank thirstily, the water sliding down his burning throat, the liquid crisp and cool and pure, sourced from his planet.

  “The land is flat,” she elaborated. “There’s grass and a river and big flying creatures with sharp teeth that kill even larger yellow beasts.” Gale shivered as she lowered the empty container. Her skin vibrated against his, arousing his refreshed body.

  “Dust vultures feast upon the unee.” Murad tensed, both beasts having the ability to kill his small human mate. “You should have waited for me to wake, foolish female.”

  “We needed water.” She touched his forehead and he winced, pain shooting down his spine. “You were safe. I built a wall around our camp.”

  “I wasn’t worried about me.” Murad held her beautiful face between his big palms. The moonlight lit her hair, and the stars reflected in her eyes, her beauty dazzling him, making him bold, hungry.

  He tangled his fingers in her curls and captured her plump lips with his, branding his ownership upon her, claiming her for his gerel. Gale froze, her spine straightening. He pressed forward, flicking the seam of her mouth with his tongue, seeking entrance.

  She sighed her surrender, her warm breath caressing his skin and she opened to him, her act of trust humbling Murad. He surged inside, tasting grains and sweetness, their tongues sliding, stroking, seducing, his head spinning.

  Gale straddled his lap, her legs bare, her fabric-covered mons pressing snugly against his hard cock, her wetness exciting him, her musk filling his nostrils. He lowered his palms and kneaded her generous ass, savoring her curves, rocking her toward him.

  She slid her hands up his arms and around his neck, threading her fingertips through his long hair. Darkness edged Murad’s vision, his limbs weak. He growled his frustration, unable to rut with Gale properly, to give her the satisfaction she deserved.

  He tore his mouth from hers. “I can’t do more,” he admitted, inwardly cringing at his failure, feeling less than a warrior.

  Her face fell. “Because you don’t want to?” She wiggled backward, away from him.

  He clasped her hips, stopping her, unwilling to release her, needing her more than he’d ever needed another being. “I want to. The moons above, I want to.” Murad leaned his forehead against hers. Pain shot from his wound, sharpening his thinking. “I have the desire, but no energy.” He brushed his nose against hers and their breaths mingled, mixed, became one.

  “Oh.” Gale pulled away and studied his face, looking for something. He didn’t know what. “Does it hurt when I touch you?” She caressed his chest, swirling the heels of her palms over his flat male nipples, sending cascades of ecstasy over him.

  “It feels wonderful.” Murad partially lowered his eyelids, selfishly savoring his female’s light touch, unable to return her caresses, his energy levels too low. “You have healing hands.”

  “I want to heal you.” Gale massaged his chest. “All over.” She rubbed her fingers into his skin, slowly lowering her hands, inflaming his body with her stroking.

  “Yes, all over.” Murad’s cock bobbed as though seeking her attention.

  Gale’s cheeks flushed pink. “Tell me if this is too much.” She drifted her fingertips over his cock head, down his shaft, around the ridge at his base, and Murad gritted his teeth, stifling his groan. “If you need to rest, I’ll stop.”

  “Don’t.” He circled her wrist with
his fingers, holding her to him. “Don’t ever stop.” Her pulse beat wildly against his skin.

  Gale’s lips lifted into a pleased smile. “I won’t.” She wrapped her fingers around him, claiming his cock as hers. She pumped him with sure, slow strokes and Murad breathed heavily, wishing to rock his hips into her touch, unable to, forced to remain still.

  Gale cupped his aching balls, lifting them, rolling them, and a rumble of appreciation vibrated in Murad’s chest, a bead of pre-cum forming on his tip. She swiped her thumb over him, spreading his scent and his seed.

  “Is this enough?” She nibbled on her bottom lip as she pumped him, abusing her sweet flesh with her blunt, white teeth. “Because if you lie back.” Her gaze dropped to his chin. Murad found his female’s shyness adorable. “I could…” She wiggled on his thighs, her musk growing tantalizingly stronger.

  She could mount me. Murad’s cock hardened even more, his body approving heartily of her sexy solution. “I can’t move, gerel,” he warned her. “I can’t please you.”

  “I can take my own pleasure.” Gale quickened her pace, her hands moving up and down his shaft, pushing Murad closer to a fulfillment he didn’t want to reach alone. “When you were unconscious, I wanted to ride you.” He stared at her, stunned, aroused, enraptured by her confession. “I didn’t!” Gale lifted her palms, releasing him. “That would have been wrong.”

  “It isn’t wrong now.” Murad swung his legs around, Gale remaining perched on his thighs and he reclined slowly on the multi-person high-backed seat, gazing up at her. “Be gentle with me.” He grinned. Her form zoomed in and out of focus.

  She licked her bottom lip, leaving a glistening trail on her lush flesh. “I don’t want to cause you more pain.” Her body trembled with sexual excitement, her nipples taut against the thin fabric barrier.

  “Then mount me, gerel.” Murad stroked his cock, up and down, up and down and Gale’s gaze followed his hand. “Give me release.” His balls lifted, hugging his shaft, his being primed for her, for this moment. “I ache for you.”