TALON (RIBUS 7 Book 4)

by Shae Mills

  Korba paused. “I was afraid you would hate me for appearing to hold him over your head, thereby forcing you to me.”

  Chelan shook her head. “Oh, I could never hate you. And I know you would never do that. You are too honorable a man.”

  Korba’s jaw tensed. “I am sorry I did not tell you about him earlier. But there was so much chaos surrounding the takeover—”

  Chelan pressed her fingers to his lips. “You have nothing to explain. To have told me that he lived in the beginning, when everything was complete anarchy, when I was so utterly off-balance… I… I would not have known what to make of the revelation. I would have questioned your motives when all the bloodshed was so fresh. Hell, with the additional shock heaped on top of everything else, I may have questioned the authenticity of his very existence.”

  All the tension in Korba’s body dissolved. He held her hand in his, drawing it to his chest. His voice became exceedingly soft. “Thank you, my Lady. Your forgiveness means everything to me.”

  She smiled at him, her eyes glistening. “There is nothing to forgive, my Lord.”

  Korba paused, soaking in all that she was. “Will you dine with me tonight?”

  “Of course, I will,” she whispered.

  *****

  As evening approached, and their meal was complete, Chelan sat back against the wall and stared at the pretty, blue room. Korba looked at her. “What are you thinking about?”

  Chelan smiled. “About everything and how unreal it all seems.”

  Korba glanced down. “I am still sorry for all you have suffered.”

  Chelan shrugged and then looked up at him. “We have all suffered. It just seems to go with the territory.”

  Korba frowned. “That is true, unfortunately.” He looked back at her, his gaze travelling down her arms, to where her hands were clasped in her lap. His eyes narrowed. He reached for her hands and turned her wrists up to the light.

  Chelan grew anxious, and she stiffened. Then she saw the moisture in his eyes, and her heart split. “Oh, my Lord. It was so long ago,” she uttered.

  “Why?” he croaked.

  Chelan sat up straight, taking his hands in hers and holding them tight. “Talon was winning. And I knew the reason he was obliterating you was because of my presence on his ship. He had told me that he would break me, that I would learn to come to him for everything I needed or desired. But ultimately, I was not going to come to him for anything, most of all my death. I was not going to give him that satisfaction. He was destroying all that I loved. I wanted to rob him of myself, and with my death, you would be able to defeat him.”

  Korba’s head bowed, and she saw a tear fall onto her gown. She reached for him and drew him to her breast. “I failed, my Lord. Lakit saved me. What is done is done. Please do not cry for me.”

  Korba took several deep breaths, his fists clenched. “Even now, my rage and the impotence that accompanies it haunts me. I could do nothing for you. I could do nothing to him. I was powerless.”

  Chelan hugged him tighter. “We all were,” she whispered. “We all were.”

  They stayed together for a long time. Then Korba sat up from her embrace and fell back into the pillows. He stared at the ceiling. Chelan straightened. “I should head back to my chambers,” she said. “It has been a long day, and we both need some rest.”

  Korba remained quiet, his eyes unseeing. She stood and looked down at him. “Thank you for bringing Jason here today.”

  Korba finally blinked back to the present. He looked up at her. “You are most welcome, my Lady. And you do not have to leave. I am not tired of your company, especially on this, our last night together.”

  Chelan hesitated for a moment. “Then, my Lord, if you would allow me a few moments, I will return to you shortly.”

  Korba nodded, and Chelan stepped out of the blue room. Then unbridled excitement struck her. She ran as fast as she could to her chambers and skidded to a halt just outside them. Composing herself, she stepped through the doors. Her eyes shone. “Oh, my…”

  Several people turned toward her. “We are just finishing up, my Lady,” said the head workman. “We will be out in a few moments.”

  Chelan looked down at the lush, white carpet. Her eyes travelled up the blue walls and over the wondrous tapestries depicting spectacular facets of the universe in all their splendor. Then her gaze dropped to the huge canopy bed draped in fine, sheer gossamer, the quilt a shimmering, cerulean blue. And punctuating the room were a proliferation of fresh exotic flowers in pinks and lavenders, the massive bouquets nestled comfortably in enormous vases of gold, silver, and azurite.

  Chelan clutched at her chest. “Oh, this is even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined!”

  The workers finished gathering up their equipment just as the head designer came out of the en suite. “My Lady,” he acknowledged. “It is to your liking?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said breathlessly.

  “Is there anything else we can do?”

  Chelan was still in awe. Then she looked beyond the bed to a small room, where none had been before. “Were there any problems with that?” she asked. “I know it was a late addition.”

  “No, my Lady. This suite is enormous. The architect integrated it beautifully and easily. When the door is closed, you won’t even know it exists.”

  Chelan nodded. “Thank you.”

  The people bowed to her and then left. Chelan looked around a moment more before moving into the en suite. All the towels were now a rich, royal blue, in beautiful contrast to the white marble and the gold fixtures. Everything was exquisite.

  Then she returned to the suite and sat down on the new bed. She had to think. She had to make a decision now, one from which there was no turning back. Korba’s suite was ready. Either he slept in it tonight alone forever, or he slept in it with her forever.

  Chelan closed her eyes. When she was alone, and her stubborn determination to disassociate from the Empire was at a low point, the decision was easy. Now all that was left to do was to accurately determine the reason for her choice. Did she want to stay because of Korba or because of Jason?

  After a time, Chelan finally smiled, her body warm with love. The decision to stay was out of her undying love for Korba. Jason was simply the icing on the cake that made it all so easy. The only thing that was left to do was to tell Korba, and her heart sang. It was going to be such a special night—a special night indeed.

  Chapter 32

  Chelan made some last-minute adjustments to the room and then padded back to Korba as innocently as she could. He lay where she had left him, his arms folded neatly over his chest. Chelan sat down on the edge of the bed and studied him. The first thing she noticed was that his rich, bronze coloring had returned. The sickly, gray cast was gone. “How do you feel?” she asked.

  Korba smiled. “Quite well, my Lady. Why?”

  “Well, I do not want to leave tomorrow and have you relapse on me.”

  Korba looked away. “I will not relapse.”

  Chelan watched him for a time. “You must continue to eat what I have ordered for you, and light workouts would be advisable for now.”

  Korba stared at her from under his brows. “Do you wish me to bring Jason to the caverns?”

  Chelan shook her head slowly. “We will discuss that later.”

  Korba looked off into the distance, grinding his jaw. “You make sure that Braedon takes good care of you.” His eyes met hers again, their azure glow frosting over. “He will suffer the consequences if he does not.”

  His intensity sent a shiver up her spine. It was her turn to look away. “You have never mentioned what you expect or want from me, my Lord.”

  Korba hesitated. “In what way?”

  “Well, the whole time I have been here, you have been very reserved.”

  “I will not attempt to steal you from your man. I have tortured you long enough. If you wish to return to me, it must be because your heart belongs to me.”

 
Chelan studied him. His body was rigid, his arms crossed so firmly over his chest she knew a truck could not budge them. But before she revealed all, she wanted him to articulate his feelings clearly. There was no room for error this time as far as her heart was concerned. It would simply cease to beat if she made any missteps now. “You have not told me where your heart lies,” she said.

  Korba suddenly softened. “Oh, Chelan. If you do not know that by now, then I have failed you in every way. I love you. I want you back as my mate and my lover. I want your friendship, your body, and your soul. I want all of you, physically, mentally, and emotionally. But I will not take what is not mine.”

  Chelan melted from within. It was as though the universe had just achieved perfect harmony, balance and rhythm restored. “I have something for you,” she said.

  Korba eyed her warily. “What?”

  Chelan stood and offered him her hand. He reached for his jacket, but she yanked him forward. “You won’t need that where you are going.”

  Korba followed her obediently through the Command Center and to the hidden chamber. There she stopped and urged him to proceed ahead of her as the doors parted. Korba glanced at her and then stepped through the threshold. His eyes widened with amazement as he took in full measure of the room. “Oh, my Lady! It is beautiful.” Then he looked to the table and noticed two glasses and a bottle of the cool, blue liqueur they both enjoyed so much.

  Chelan smiled. “Am I allowed to ply you with alcohol?”

  Korba’s eyes narrowed. “To what end?”

  Chelan slid past him and poured him a drink. She handed it to him and then poured one for herself. She raised her glass to him. “To the new old Empire. May it rise to its former majesty, never to fall again.”

  Korba raised his glass, but he was silent.

  “Why so solemn, my Lord?”

  Korba drew in a deep breath. “Because it will never truly reach its former proportions when the Lord God is without his Goddess.”

  Chelan smiled. “Come with me.” And she led him to the en suite. He took a sip of his drink and then watched as she took his glass from him and set both glasses on the floor next to the sunken spa.

  Though she had seduced him countless times in previous years, now an overwhelming shyness governed her. She stepped up close to him, her nerve nearly leaving her. Then she looked to the spa and bit her lip.

  Korba was genuinely confused. She was leaving him in the morning for another, and none of this made sense. He had always been able to read the alien beauty easily, but tonight was the exception.

  Chelan finally looked back at him. “Would you like to join me?” she whispered.

  Korba became very still, her offer tearing open his carefully controlled desire. “I do not think I could stand to be so close to you there and then lose you upon tomorrow’s light.”

  “I did all of this for you. And you won’t lose me in the morning.” She hesitated as she watched the guarded disbelief register on his face. “I want to stay here… with you… forever.”

  Korba felt his heart stop. He could not move, his mind still endeavoring to believe his ears. “You know what I want, but if you stay, you also know that there are risks—grave risks.”

  Chelan nodded. “I know. Both of us will be targets for all time. I could remove myself physically from the equation, but emotionally, nothing would change. Whether I am here with you or sequestered in the caverns, I am of the Empire, and as hard as I may try to remain unaffected, I will always be.”

  “But the caverns will insulate you. Braedon will—”

  “Shhh…” she whispered. “My decision is made.” She stepped up to him, and with trembling fingers, she traced a long scar that crossed his breast. “I asked Lethiason to tell Braedon that I would not be leaving.”

  Korba’s heart took off, but he was still too stunned to move. Chelan retracted her finger, his hesitation causing her to falter. She backed up a safe distance and then tried to decode his features. “I am sorry, my Lord. I am not very good at—” She took a deep breath. “I am not very good at asking you to… to… to stay with me.”

  Korba approached her slowly. His fingers brushed along her jaw and then down her neck. They trailed off at her shoulder, catching the strap of her gown. Then he stopped. His voice was soft and low. “To stay with you or to make love to you?”

  Chelan glanced up at him. “It has been so long,” she confessed quietly.

  Korba looked at the strap in his hand and then slid it down her arm. “Yes, five long years, but you shall never have to ask again.”

  Chelan closed her eyes as she felt the gown flow over her breasts and hips. It pooled on the floor at her feet, and she shivered. Then she watched as he removed his boots and pants. He stepped into the spa and offered her his hand.

  Chelan accepted and quickly sank into the warm liquid, relieved to be under the water and surrounded by the fragile security it provided.

  Korba’s fingers explored her face in silence. Then he became motionless and looked deep into her angel eyes. “Are you sure about all of this?” he whispered.

  “I have never been so sure about anything in my life,” she murmured.

  Korba closed his eyes momentarily, his elusive dream finally realized. He glanced down as his hands moved to cup her supple breasts. He felt her tremble to his touch, and he clenched his jaw. He stared into her eyes and finally smiled. “Your son was right. You are so pretty.”

  Chelan gave a nervous laugh, but his soft caress of her nipples erased all her paranoia. He could do with her as he pleased; she would deny him nothing. Then, as he wove his way into her soul, a powerful desire hit her, eclipsing all that had ever consumed her before. She reached for his hands, pulling them gently from her.

  “What is it?” he asked with concern.

  She leaned to him, taking his lips softly with hers. Then she stared into his azure eyes. “Stand up,” came her soft request.

  Korba hesitated. “Why?”

  Chelan took a moment to suppress her shyness. “I want to come down on you.”

  Korba studied her. There was more than that to her simple request—her tremors betrayed her to him. She had pleasured him orally countless times in the past, but this was different. “What else?”

  Chelan clutched at his arms. “I want to watch you swell.” She tried to catch her breath. “I want to taste of you… all of you… completely.”

  Korba became still. “You want to…”

  Chelan flushed. “I want you to… I don’t want you to stop.”

  Korba was silent for a long time. He reached out and touched her lips, trying to envision what she had offered. “I have never…”

  Chelan pressed her fingers to his lips. “I know. It seems to be a sexual pleasure ignored by your race, but not by mine. Please, let me be the one to drink of you.”

  Korba felt nearly dizzy at the prospect. Because of the trouble with the Breeders in the past, such a possibility had indeed never crossed his mind. Ejaculating was an act he avoided at all costs. But she was right. For that matter, no woman had ever asked. It was simply never done. But the look in her eyes told him that she was genuine… and determined.

  Korba’s hands touched each side of her face, and then he kissed her gently. Chelan held her breath. She knew very well what he was thinking. But the Breeders were in their place now, and if she had her way, he would spill his seed for her taking, an act he had done but once before, with disastrous consequences.

  She waited for his response, her hands holding his arms tightly. Just as she thought he was about to refuse, he began to rise. When he stood before her, she looked up at him, his perfect, naked body glistening with water. Her heart blossomed in response to the act he had now permitted her, and her alone, to perform.

  She moved to her knees, her gaze travelling over his sculpted chest and down his coiled abdomen. Then her fingers gently caressed the length of his thick erection. She moaned, her lower body flooding with warmth, while her moist upper body
prickled in the cool air.

  She kissed him at his base, her lips lingering, her senses taking in everything about him. Then she ran her tongue up his hard flesh to his tip. He was pure masculine sex.

  She sat back and adored what was hers, her fingers surrounding him. Then she reached for his velvet skin, peeling back his foreskin and revealing his glans to her. Her mouth watered. She leaned forward and took him, loving the fullness that filled her.

  Korba’s breath took off as he looked down unbelieving at the small woman consuming him. She was a fantasy that had eluded him for five long, painful years. And now, on their first time back together, she knelt before him, offering to give to him the ultimate pleasure, the ultimate ecstasy a man of his world could endure: to release completely. But to do it in the way she had requested made his knees weak.

  He reached for her hair almost tentatively. He was afraid to touch her, lest the vision before him vanish to dust. But as his fingers entangled themselves in her silken mane, his heart swelled. She was real and so were the powerful feelings she was filling him with.

  Her fingers smoothed delicately over his hardness, her mouth and tongue tasting all of him. He threw his head back, his long, metallic hair cascading down his back to his waist. He gasped for air, every massive muscle in his body contracting tightly with pure ecstasy. The gentle manipulations she took his maleness through sent spasms of fire and electricity throughout his body, igniting his desire like never before.

  Her touch was perfect, and soon he came to one inescapable conclusion: he had no choice but to grant her her wish. All his life, he had had the ultimate control over his sexual state. But not this time, and he closed his eyes. The need to come, to ejaculate, suddenly overpowered him, and he gasped at the intensity of the unfamiliar arousal. He looked down at her, his fingers now trembling as he stroked her fine hair. He was hers… completely.

  Chelan quivered with desire as she took in as much of him as she could. She sucked him hard and then withdrew as she felt the swelling begin beneath her fingers. The heat that shot through her caused her body to ache, her inner recesses straining to be filled by what she held. But for now, she wanted this pleasure even more.