Prime Salvation (Katieran Prime Book Six)

by K. D. Jones

  “ConEL, please.” She begged him to give her more. He wanted to give more to her. He wanted her to shout his name when she released.

  He began thrusting into her until it became a frantic pump in and out of her body. She felt so wet and warm and when she squeezed her inner walls around him, he had to fight to keep his pace going. He needed her to come first.

  She clawed at his back, his balls drew up, and he would have sworn his cock swelled even more. She threw her head back and screamed, “ConEL” as her climax had her tightening around him. He felt the tingle run down his spine and into his cock, causing him to surge forward at an increased speed. “Oh yes!” He came so hard black spots appeared behind his eyelids.

  His breathing slowed down to a more normal rate. He opened his eyes and saw that he was completely alone. His hand was clutching his cock and his seed had spilled out and onto the shower floor. It had felt so real. He could almost smell Lucy’s arousal and her taste still present on his tongue.

  What was wrong with him? He jerked off thinking of the female warrior instead of his dead mate. Even now, he could not picture MariELa and he was unable to get a response from his cock. However, as soon as he thought of Lucy, his cock was at full staff again. Kitana!

  *****

  “You look tired today. Are you sleeping okay?”

  ConEL had closed his eyes briefly. He opened them and looked the doctor. “I have been having a lot of dreams.”

  “About what?” Dr. Garrett asked as she typed something in her digital tablet.

  “Memories of things that happened on the ship. The times I actually got to see my mate.”

  “What was her name?”

  “MariELa.”

  “What did she look like?”

  Why was the female asking about his dead mate? None of that mattered. “Have you seen Prima AriELa?”

  The counselor frowned. She hadn’t expected him to question her. “Yes, I have met the Prima.”

  “AriELa looks a lot like her mother.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “It did at first. She seemed to look so much like MariELa; it hurt me to see her.”

  “And now?”

  “I can see AriELa is different. She’s just as beautiful if not more beautiful than her mother.”

  “Have you spoken with your son and daughter since that last time?

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  He looked at his hands. “I hurt them by pushing them away. It may be too late.”

  “I would like to invite your daughter and son to attend a family session once a week.”

  ConEL looked at her with worry in his eyes. “I don’t think they will come.”

  “Well, that’s your homework. You have to convince them to come to the sessions.”

  His children barely spoke to him. It was his own fault, but he had no idea how he was going to get them to come to counseling with him. Goddess help him.

  * * *

  Chapter Seven

  Two more weeks of Lucy’s punishment had passed. Whenever she had some time off from training, she would take long walks along the soft white sand in front of the green Waters of Katiera. There was so much water on Katiera, it covered nearly seventy percent of the planet, a beautiful green that sometimes looked like emeralds. The two suns, one large and yellow and its twin a small red sun, shone down brightly. Usually the temperature was moderate, a good seventy degrees year round. However, on the Southside, the temperatures fluctuated much more. Today though, it was a bright sunny day so she was able to wear her shorts and tank top.

  She walked a short distance before sitting down on the sand. She stared out over the sparkling water and remembered how she first met ConEL. It was a day she would never forget. She, Prima AriELa, and security liaison, TarAK, had been visiting with the neighboring planet Kiljor when the Morins attacked and they had taken prisoner on board the Morin Transport ship. Her memory of their time on the Morin transport was crystal-clear of that day.

  Lucy yelled at AriELa to move it. She wanted nothing more than to get the Prima off the Morin ship and to safety. However, AriELa wasn’t going to leave without TarAK. She was impressed when AriELa pulled it together.

  They made their way down the corridor. She had to take care of the Morins they encountered. AriELa got the key to the holding room, which was a cell. When they went into the dark, cold room, she felt eyes on her immediately. She searched around and spotted glowing eyes from the corner. It wasn’t TarAK because AriELa was working to free him. This was someone else.

  “Get her out of here now!” the stranger’s voice barked out his orders.

  “AriELa.” TarAK tried to pull her away.

  The Prima needed to leave before they were recaptured again. The Morins wouldn’t give them a second opportunity for escape.

  “Here, give me the damn key!” Lucy came over and grabbed the key from AriELa’s hand. She shoved AriELa and TarAK out of the holding room. “Go! We’ll be right behind you!”

  “Leave me,” the prisoner rasped as Lucy inserted the key into the locks.

  Lucy looked into the stranger’s eyes and felt an immediate connection to him. “I can’t do that.” The male was AriELa’s father. He was a Prime. She was honor bound to protect all Primes, but it was more than that. She couldn’t explain it, only that she could no more leave him than she could have left her husband if he had still been alive.

  She freed him from his chains and helped him to stand. He had a hard time staying upright. She put her shoulder under his and wrapped her arms around his back. They were halfway down the corridor when the prisoner made her stop.

  “What?” Lucy was growing impatient. They needed to get to an escape pod.

  “I can’t leave without the young.”

  “What young?”

  “AriELa’s brother, my son.”

  “Where is he?”

  The prisoner shook his head. “I don’t know. The Morins kept him and my mate separate from me.”

  “Your mate is here, too?” For some reason it bothered her that this man had a mate.

  “She died, they kept her and our son together but separate from me for a long time. I do not know where.”

  Fuck! “Okay. I need you to keep your eyes open while I try to get us some help.”

  “How?”

  “Just…keep your eyes open!” Lucy closed her own eyes in order to concentrate. She had to find the connection to the man who evidently was able to speak to people with his mind.

  ‘Hello. Can you hear me? I need your help. Damn it! Answer me!’

  ‘I hear you female. There is no need to shout. Where is Prima AriELa?’

  ‘I sent her and TarAK off to an escape pod.’

  ‘Why are you not with them?’

  ‘I have a Prime here that has been a prisoner for some time. He says his son is onboard.’

  ‘Give me a second and I will try to locate the young.’

  Lucy opened her eyes to find the Prime staring at her strangely. “What?”

  “You look like the Goddess KatieRI.”

  “What?” Good God the man was making no sense. She was now responsible for a mad man. How did she get to be so lucky?

  “Her smooth ebony skin, as dark as the night. With silky black hair, twinkling suns in her eyes,” ConEL quoted staring at her. His eyes did look a bit dazed. Shit.

  ‘Come on mind reader. The Prime is going crazy here.’

  ‘The male is quoting a poem about our Goddess KatieRI. He believes you look like her. I have my doubts to his ability to judge your beauty.’

  ‘I don’t have time to address that right now. Did you find the boy?’

  ‘Yes. He is two corridors down from you. There is a guard to his room. You will have to hurry. When the transport I am on is detected, the Morins will start using the pods to escape. They may attempt to blow up their transport to prevent us from claiming it.’

  ‘As soon as we have the boy, we are out of
here.’

  Lucy turned back to ConEL. “Two corridors down. Be ready.”

  She opened her eyes to the green waters splashing against the Southside shore. It seemed like it all happened so long ago. Thank God they were able to get off that transport when they did. She had only spent a few hours on that Morin ship but those moments haunted her. It must be pure hell for ConEL. He had been a prisoner for years.

  *****

  ConEL shifted nervously on the chair across from his daughter and son. They were on the couch sitting silently at their first family counseling session. Since no one was talking, it wasn’t going so great.

  His son, TorEL, looked really angry. He wouldn’t look ConEL in the eyes. He didn’t blame the young for hating him. He had failed him and his mother. He had failed his daughter, too. She had to grow up without him.

  Dr. Rose Garrett smiled gently at the young woman and the little boy. The little boy appeared to be like any other little boy his age. Until he turned and looked at her with his eyes, eyes of someone much older than his young age. What kind of things did this poor child suffer? It broke her heart. She had to remind herself to keep her emotions in check. She had to remain neutral if she was to help this family.

  “Thank you so much, Prima AirELa, and Prime TorEL, for coming. These family sessions will be instrumental in Prime ConEL’s recovery and I hope it will also help in healing you as well.”

  “Can we leave now?” TorEL asked his sister.

  “Not yet.” AriELa frowned at her brother. He was being especially difficult lately when it came to interacting with their father. He didn’t want to come to these sessions and had protested it.

  It surprised her when her father approached her and TarAK. They were having a picnic on the beach and she looked up to see her father staring down at her. At first she did not recognize him. He had been rebuilding his muscle mass with the warrior training. Since he shaved his beard and added some bulk to his body, he almost looked like a complete stranger.

  ConEL had been so nervous that day. He looked down at the sand when he asked her if it would not be a hardship, he would be very grateful if she and TorEL could attend one of the family sessions. He said that he would understand completely if she did not want to.

  AriELa had stuttered at first before she nodded. TorEL, when he found out what she had agreed on, was livid. He yelled at her. It was the first time ever that he had done that. AriELa had broken down in tears. She was glad that TarAK had not been there when that happened. He would have fought more with her brother and it wasn’t necessary. As soon as AriELa started crying, her brother took her hand in his and asked her to forgive him.

  TorEL came today because of her, he knew it was what she wanted. But he wasn’t happy about it. He was holding back a mountain of hurt and anger. AriELa didn’t know what to do to help him but hoped that Dr. Garrett would know.

  “Thanks, Dr. Garrett. I’ve never done one of these counseling things. What should we do first?” AriELa asked.

  “First off, everything said in this room is private and will be kept confidential. You can say anything you want. Is there anything specific that either of you would like to talk about?”

  “I thought we were here just to listen. I didn’t think we would need to talk, too.” AriELa squeezed her hands together.

  “This session is for your whole family. You can talk about whatever is pressing on you. To start you off, I’ll ask a couple of questions. How do you feel about your father being here on Katiera?”

  “I don’t know what I am supposed to say. My Aunt SandELa helped raise me when I thought my parents were both dead. I was shocked when Lieutenant Daniels and I found my father still alive on board the Morin ship. It has been a rough adjustment since returning to Katiera. We have tried to reach out to our father, only to have been previously rebuffed. I didn’t understand why he didn’t want to see my brother and me. I tried to respect that and gave him his distance.”

  “How did it feel to you when your father refused to have anything to do with you?”

  “It hurt. I felt like I was given a gift that was precious only to have it ripped back out of my hands.”

  “Prime TorEL, how did it make you feel?”

  “Angry.”

  “Angry at your father or at the situation?”

  “Angry at everyone. I am angry with my father the most. I want to hurt my father myself for making my sister cry. I want to hurt the Morins for torturing my mother until she died. I am angry that I can’t hurt those that deserve it.”

  “Would it make you feel any better to hurt all those people? To have your revenge against them?”

  “Yes…maybe.”

  “Would it change anything for you? Would your life improve drastically in any way?”

  “No, I guess not.” TorEL sighed.

  “Have either of you ever had thoughts of ending your own life?”

  There was a long silence. Neither TorEL nor AriELa answered. It tore ConEL up inside. He knew he was supposed to remain quiet so his children could talk about their feelings. He remembered how hard it had been for him the first few sessions. He just needed to be patient.

  “Did you ever have thoughts that things would be better somehow if you were not alive?”

  AriELa nodded her head. “There have been times that I felt I should have died with my parents. However, I am grateful now for every day that I am alive. I have so much to look forward to.” She reached for TorEL’s hand. “I have my brother. I would not trade that for anything in the world.” He squeezed her hand in return. “And I have my mate, TarAK. We hope to start a family of our own soon.”

  TorEL had a tear trail down his cheek. “I couldn’t save my mother. I felt helpless every time the Morins separated us. I knew they would hurt her, but I couldn’t protect her. I was not allowed to go near my father. When my mother died, I wished I could have died with her, but now that I am free, I want to be strong for my sister. I am grateful every day to have her in my life.”

  Dr. Garrett turned to ConEL. “Prime ConEL, would you like to add to the discussion.”

  ConEL gulped. He hoped he could say something that would ease the hurt he had caused both his children. Maybe the best start would be with an apology. “I am sorry for so many things. I am sorry that I could not protect my mate when she needed me the most. I am sorry that I was not there to raise my daughter. I am sorry I wasn’t a better father for my son, that I could not protect him from the Morins. Most of all, I am sorry for pushing my family away when they needed me. Please forgive me.”

  AriELa began to cry. ConEL was at her side in an instant taking her into his arms. This was the first time since his capture and release that he held his daughter. It had been years. It felt like a piece of his soul returned to him. He looked over at his son who didn’t move to come any closer, but held a look of longing. ConEL had hope for the first time in a long time that he might get to have his family back. It felt good. He felt alive again. He immediately wanted to tell Lucy all about it and to thank her. If not for her, he and his children would still be captives of the Morins. He owed that female everything.

  *****

  Lucy used the hologram imaging on the digital tablet to contact Jaxon. “Hey there. How’s everything in the Prime City?”

  Jaxon’s image hovered slightly above the digital tablet screen. “We are arranging a banquet for the Colony Leader LarIS. He is coming in a few weeks to Katiera.”

  “And you are helping to plan the party?” Lucy snorted. She could imagine the spread if Jaxon was the one organizing the shindig. She would have nothing but weenies and chips with a couple of beer kegs.

  “I am helping to arrange security for the thing, smartass.”

  “Wish I could be there to help.”

  “Well, I think that can be arranged.”

  “What? It hasn’t been a full three months yet.” Lucy didn’t want to get her hopes up.

  “As soon as Kyd and Ren get the approval from the High Council, we’l
l send for you and AtOM to return. A lot has changed since you have been gone.”

  “AtOM will be grateful to return. He misses his friend, LanER. He says LanER will be having a mating ceremony soon and he wanted to attend it.”

  “So, what’s going on with you and AtOM? Did you climb him like a monkey on a tree yet?”

  “NO! I am hanging up now.”

  Jaxon was laughing, “Okay. I’ll talk to you later. Give AtOM a kiss for me.”

  Lucy pushed the button to end their call. Did everyone think that she and AtOM were a couple? Did ConEL think that, too? She hoped not.

  * * *

  Chapter Eight

  Lucy was home. She couldn’t believe how quickly she began to think of the City of Katiera as her home. But how else would she describe how choked up she felt right then at seeing the white clay-like buildings. It was so beautiful to her.

  “Glad to be back?” AtOM asked, smiling at her.

  “Yes. I know we had only been gone ten weeks, but it feels like forever to me.”

  “I know. I feel the same way.”

  “You must be especially glad to be back. You have family and friends anxious to see you.”

  He blushed. “I missed them all. I am glad that I will be able to attend LanER’s mating ceremony. How about you, will you be glad to see your friends?”

  “Well, I only have one true friend. That’s Jaxon. I mean, Prima Captain Jaxon. I’ll be glad to see her though.”

  He surprised her by reaching over and grabbing hold of her hand. He leaned toward her and spoke low enough so the pilot and co-pilot could not hear.

  “I would like to see you again once we are settled in.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other when training or on duty.”

  “That is not what I meant. I would like to court you officially, publicly.”

  Lucy felt her mouth go dry. What was she going to say? Her first instinct was to pull away and tell him no. Then she thought about how she literally had no one. No one to spend time with, no one to go home to after a long day of training. No one to hold her after a bad dream or to make love to her to help her forget all of her worries.