Warrior's Pain (Cadi Warriors Book 4)

by Stephanie West

  Cyprian ran his palm along her cheek, as he sat down on the bed. His thumb soothed the crease in Riley’s brow. Riley’s fortitude and cleverness kept shocking him, but everyone had their limit.

  “You’d charge into the heart of battle, if you thought you could make a difference, wouldn’t you?” Cyprian asked.

  “Sometimes that’s the hand that Fate deals.”

  Up to this point Cyprian thought he and Vintor were masters of subterfuge, however, what Riley had been up to not only rivalled, but surpassed the game he played. With only herself to rely on, while occupying a defensive position, Riley manipulated the Overseer into giving her back the necklace. He’d known commanders who accomplished less in battle.

  “You are right about Fate. But I think it also has a sense of humor. I had these preconceived notions about females and what I thought I wanted. But you shattered all of that.”

  Riley tilted her head in confusion, wondering what he was talking about.

  “You amaze me, Little Manx. Your spirit, and willingness to sacrifice yourself humbles me. I can’t fathom how Kali packed so much into such a beautiful little creature.”

  “Please Cyprian,” Riley begged. “I can’t handle this.” She gestured from him to herself.

  It was time to come clean. That was the only thing that would lighten Riley’s burden and ease her mind.

  “I know.” Cyprian bent and kissed her forehead. “And I know Exo hid the location of the colony on your necklace. I’m amazed by what you did to keep it a secret.”

  “But I failed. Cuttles is going to figure it out,” Riley sobbed.

  “I’ll find a way to fix it.”

  Riley pushed at Cyprian’s chest, shoving him back.

  “Wait. How do you know about the colony?” she asked, horror twisting her face.

  “We both have secrets,” Cyprian replied with a slight smile. “Vintor and I didn’t come to Distraho to buy or sell anything.”

  “What do you mean?” Riley frowned in confusion.

  “Several Toufik citizens went missing on Cadi, so Vintor and I infiltrated the group of smugglers. While we were getting close to the smugglers we learned the Jurou Biljana abducted you and Exo. June has been very worried about you.”

  “June?” Riley said, surprise and hope filling her voice. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me?” She shook her head in confusion.

  “I couldn’t risk the others learning about my mission if you slipped.”

  “You didn’t think you could trust me?” Riley barked incredulously.

  Cyprian smiled at the flash of temper he saw reflected in her eyes. She was coming around.

  “That was before I knew you. I don’t think a single one of my swords, possess the metal you’ve displayed. Like you said, life has tempered you into something truly formidable, Little Manx.”

  “You have no idea the half of it.” Riley frowned.

  “So, enlighten me.”

  “You suspected I was keeping something about Aculus from you.”

  “Yes. You knew he sabotaged the weapon in the viewing gallery, didn’t you?”

  “If it was only that simple,” Riley laughed bitterly. “You and Aculus are very similar. You already know the weapon he ruined had the ability to destroy planets. But what you don’t know, is that Cuttles still has the data chip that controlled it. That information puts countless people at risk.”

  “And Aculus wants the information destroyed.”

  “There’s more. Aculus visited me while you were in the morgue. We have till this time tomorrow to destroy the information, before the Osivoire make it like Distraho never existed.”

  “That doesn’t give my people enough time to get here to pick up the Toufik.” Cyprian grimaced.

  “I couldn’t stand the thought of so many innocent people dying. I told Aculus I’d find a way to get into Cuttles’ office, and engineering, to destroy the information. I’m supposed to contact him with this, and he’ll bring me supplies.”

  Riley showed Cyprian a small disk adhered to the back of her pendant.

  “And that male was willing to let you risk your tail, because he failed at his mission?” Cyprian growled.

  Cyprian was ready to knock the bony male’s teeth in.

  “I didn’t give Aculus an option. He’s not a bad guy. He couldn’t very well claim to give me my freedom, then take me against my will.”

  “I was right. You are trouble,” Cyprian smirked. “Well I’m giving you your freedom, but there’s no way in Kali’s creation I’m letting you risk your tail.”

  “Were you listening, General? You can’t give someone their freedom, and still order them about in the same breath. I’ve had my fill of it.”

  Riley attempted to squirmed out of his arms, but Cyprian held her tighter.

  “You know my stance when it comes to you being hurt. That’s not a fabrication. You won’t martyr yourself because you’re too damn giving.”

  “I know I had a little meltdown, but I do have a plan.”

  Riley managed to get free from his grasp. She stood in front of Cyprian wearing that spunky rotten smile that aggravated him when they first met. He wasn’t surprised Riley had a plan. Even when she was down, she was still a fighter. It filled him with pride.

  “And what is that plan?” Cyprian asked.

  “I’ve been to both places that need to be destroyed. It’s not far-fetched to assume I could get access again.”

  “True, but how were you going to get me to go along with this, while still my slave?” Cyprian’s brow quirked up.

  “The same way I plan to get you to help me now,” Riley replied coyly.

  Riley stepped between Cyprian’s thighs. She ran her finger across his collar bone then down his chest. Her hand paused when she reached his bandolier.

  “Take this off.”

  As Cyprian unstrapped his weapons and dropped them on the floor, it occurred to him that he needed to contact Vintor to pass along the bad news. But he didn’t. He needed a few moments with his female.

  “Good boy. I like how you military types follow orders so well.”

  “I know what you’re up to,” Cyprian grunted in amusement.

  Riley leaned in, pressing her breasts against his bare chest.

  “Uh huh,” she whispered into his ear.

  Riley’s tongue ran along the shell of his ear. She then sucked the lobe between her lips. Cyprian drew in a sharp breath when Riley bit down. The sting sent a thrill through him, but he wasn’t so easily swayed. No matter what Riley did, she was officially out of this. He would contact Aculus and arrange something that didn’t involve her.

  “Do you honestly think you’re going to seduce me into letting you do this? I’m not a rutting youth anymore.”

  “Aw. Are you scared that I might succeed, General?” Riley teased.

  “Not in the least.”

  Riley shoved Cyprian back on the bed. He fell willingly, and she straddled his hips. Riley bent down and placed her lips on his chest. Her open mouth kisses heated his skin. Cyprian felt the cool leather of her boots push between his knees, then splay his legs. She reached back, and with a delicate touch, slowly ran her fingers up the inside of his thigh. At the same time, Riley’s tongue circled his peck in concentric circles.

  “Maybe you should be afraid, General,” Riley husked, as she pinned him with her big dark eyes.

  A growl reverberated in Cyprian’s chest, when Riley rocked her hips against his crotch. Her tight little rear had him straining at his vestments.

  Maybe he should be worried. The way the fingers of her one hand lazily stroked the sensitive skin on the inside of his forearm, while the other trailed up his thigh, was agonizing. The gentle roll of her hips, barely brushing against the head of his arousal, was torture. It was a male’s job to seduce a female, not the other way around. Cyprian wasn’t accustomed to having a female straddle him. Riley’s soft touch was contrary to the dominant act.

  “Caution, Little Manx. You d
on’t know what you’re tempting,” he growled.

  Riley looked up with a knowing smile.

  She is dangerous.

  Riley rose from his stomach, and crawled up his side. She swung one leg over his head, planting her knees next to his ears. Cyprian didn’t move a muscle as he stared up at Riley. She tugged at her new top, and he watched it unravel, revealing her nude body a swath at a time. Cyprian followed its progress. His mouth salivated as the fabric slid free, exposing her tufted mound, cleft, and pert rear, inches from his face.

  “I think you talk too much. You’re not nearly so bossy when your mouth is occupied.”

  Riley braced her hands on Cyprian’s chest, and sat down on his face. Cyprian groaned when her heated skin met his mouth. Riley squirmed when he ran his tongue along her folds, then flicked the tip against the entrance of her moist slit. Cyprian’s arms wrapped around Riley’s thighs to hold her where he wanted her. He tugged her hips down, shoving his face deeper into her cleft.

  My Little Manx wants to play.

  Cyprian laved Riley’s pierced nub, till she gasped. The flood of moisture that greeted his mouth, made him growl. He was ravenous as he attacked her slit, shoving his tongue deep in her trembling channel.

  “Oh, yeah. Lick it,” Riley moaned as she ground against his mouth.

  Her heated breath on his shaft, caught Cyprian off guard. He’d been so intent on the treat in his face, he lost track of what his mischievous female was up to. Cyprian stilled.

  “Can I assume from the way you jumped, that you’ve never had your cock sucked before?” Riley purred. Each word ghosted over his shaft, making Cyprian tense up. “Oh General, the things I’m going to do to you.”

  Surely, she’s not going to...

  Cyprian had only a moment to dwell on the surprising proposition, before Riley’s delicate fingers encircled his turgid shaft. She brazenly stared back at him, as her tongue snaked out, then ran from the base of his erection up to the tip. Every sane thought fled his mind. Females didn’t do this. It was unheard of. Riley was trouble. Yet for some reason Cyprian ran to his doom with open arms.

  A snarl vibrated in his throat when her lips enveloped his crown. At the same time, Riley’s grip tightened, sliding down his length. Cyprian’s chest heaved as the sublime torture gripped him. The things Riley did with her tongue, as she sucked him into the hot wet cavern of her mouth should be illegal.

  Holy mother of Kali, he groaned, trying not to instantly spill his seed.

  Cyprian had provoked Riley, now she was putting him in his place. But like his little manx, Cyprian wasn’t one to back down from a challenge.

  Riley

  From the second Cyprian told Riley about his mission, she wanted to tackle him, and pepper his face with kisses. Discovering he’d come to Distraho to rescue her was the last thing she expected to hear, after the horrific things she’d learned in the last hour.

  Riley didn’t entirely agree, but it felt good hearing his gruff insistence that she stay out of harm’s way. And there was something dead sexy about Cyprian’s ever-dominant bravado.

  So, when Cyprian questioned what she would do to sway him, Riley didn’t hold back. She wanted to make him forget his name. After everything that happened, Riley needed Cyprian in a bad way.

  Riley loved the sight of Cyprian’s face between her thighs. She knew he was letting her have control, yet it was still a heady feeling having the massive demigod at her mercy. The instant his mouth met her eager flesh, Riley questioned who really had the upper hand.

  Riley stared down the length of Cyprian’s muscular body, admiring the peaks and valleys. His skin was the deep color of red that screamed danger and passion, to the primal part of her brain. Riley’s hands followed her eyes, over his washboard abs, till she reached Cyprian’s waist. His thick cock tented his kilt. She revealed the aroused beast and paused. The studded tool was impressive and daunting. Riley licked her lips, wondering what he would taste like.

  Riley leaned forward. Her cheek brushed Cyprian’s thigh, feeling the fine crisp hairs of his leg tease her. She reveled in Cyprian’s spicy scent. It called to something deep inside. Riley’s lips twisted into a devious smile when Cyprian jerked as she moaned against his cock.

  “Can I assume from the way you jumped, that you’ve never had your cock sucked before?”

  The concept was shocking, but considering the Cadi had fangs, she doubted their women were giving a lot of blow jobs. Knowing this was the first time the massive warrior had experienced this kind of pleasure, goaded her on.

  “Oh General, the things I’m going to do to you.”

  Riley’s lips slid up the studded length of Cyprian’s cock, teasing him with her tongue. She sampled her way along his length, feeling the way the large vessel at the base of his cock pulsed. When she reached his crown, she opened her mouth wide and enveloped him. Cyprian snarled incoherently. His hips bucked as she took a long leisurely pull.

  Riley gasped around Cyprian’s ribbed cock, when his mouth laid into her pussy with a vengeance. He hadn’t taken long to recover from his initial shock, and now she was in trouble. When he sucked on her clit, Riley moaned in ecstasy. Cyprian’s girth jerked in response to her mouth vibrating around him.

  The deep grunts Cyprian made each time she sucked him in, had Riley’s pussy gushing, but her eyes were drawn to the tight pair of balls beneath his shaft. She twirled her tongue around his length, laving his turgid head one last time, before releasing him with a lip smacking pop.

  Riley sucked in one heavy ball, and rolled it gently.

  “Son of a,” Cyprian growled into her pussy, rewarding her for her effort.

  Riley continued to pump his shaft, her hand gliding effortlessly through the saliva that coated him. Her thumb teased the glans beneath his head with each stroke.

  She moved to his other ball, giving it the same treatment as the first. Cyprian’s thighs trembled as she sucked, then mouthed him with her lips.

  “Little Manx,” Cyprian growled a warning she didn’t heed.

  Riley moved back to his cock and pulled him into her mouth. Her tongue moved eagerly over Cyprian’s slitted tip. She wanted to taste him when he lost control. Maddeningly he was proving to be just as stubborn as she expected. Riley didn’t know how much longer she could maintain control with his wicked mouth on her pussy.

  Riley smiled around his cock, as every dirty thing she’d ever been tempted to do entered her mind. Riley’s fingers trailed through the moisture sliding down Cyprian’s shaft, and followed it over his balls. Her fingers massaged the spot beneath the heavy globes, then one finger drifted lower. Cyprian jumped when she circled the sensitive ring of his ass. She sucked his cock to the back of her throat, as she pressed the tip of her index finger past his clenched rear.

  “Riley, you need to stop,” Cyprian panted between words.

  The way his cock swelled larger in her mouth said otherwise. She moaned around his girth and slid her finger deeper into his ass.

  Cyprian snarled, then responded by latching onto her clit and flicking the piercing. Riley moaned, then gasped as his teeth grazed her engorged nub. He was close, and so was she.

  Cyprian de Praefectus

  Riley’s mouth moved faster over his erection, as her little finger slid deeper into his ass. Cyprian couldn’t believe what his diabolical little female was doing. When Riley’s finger grazed a spot deep inside, Cyprian jerked, and his shaft spurt in her hot mouth.

  Son of a metcor.

  He had no idea he was hypersensitive there. Riley had him twisted in knots, stripping away the last vestiges of his self-control.

  The unbidden response only encouraged Riley. She rolled her finger against the taboo bundle of nerves, forcing his seed to pump out in shuddering burst, as Cyprian’s body quaked uncontrollably.

  “Mmm,” Riley moaned, making him kick again in her mouth. “You taste like candy,” she said when she released him.

  Cyprian flipped Riley onto her back with a feral snarl,
then lunged. The heel of her boot shoved against his chest, halting his advance.

  “Not so fast,” she insisted.

  Cyprian halted, though he was far from finished with his salacious little female.

  “I will have you, Little Manx,” he snarled and gritted his teeth.

  Cyprian’s fist wrapped around Riley’s leather clad ankle. He tugged her foot aside, and pulled her hips closer. There was nothing more erotic than Riley in only a pair of knee-high, black, leather boots, legs splayed, exposing her pink center. Her lips were puffy and wet. Cyprian spread Riley’s legs wider, revealing her engorged nub and weeping slit. That’s where he wanted to be.

  He prowled up Riley’s body, rubbing the length of his chest along her soft stomach, full breast, and turgid nipples, then caged her in his arms.

  “You are mine,” he rumbled in her ear.

  “I want to watch you fuck me,” Riley husked, her voice laced with need.

  Cyprian didn’t expect the erotic request, but was eager to comply. He’d never known a female to be so bold in the bedroom.

  The general reared back on his knees, then draped Riley’s legs over his arms, as he tugged her ass into the air. Riley watching with a heavy-lidded gaze, was insanely provocative. Cyprian tilted his hips, lining his erection up with her slick slit. She was so wet. He couldn’t believe Riley made all this nectar just for him.

  Cyprian pressed the head of his shaft against the mouth of her slick channel. Riley’s body resisted his invasion, but he was persistent. The sight of his engorged arousal disappearing into Riley’s body, made Cyprian burn hotter. The way her glistening slit stretched around his shaft, had him grasping for the reins on his sanity.

  “Oh, Jesus. Yes, General. God, your cock is unbelievable,” Riley gasped as he buried half his length in her trembling heat.

  Cyprian looked at Riley’s face. Her dark eyes, shuttered by thick lashes, stared wantonly at their joined bodies. Her red lips were parted, panting as he sank ever deeper into her. Cyprian loved how her breasts heaved with each stunted breath. He felt the sting of Riley’s nails as she clenched his thighs, her fingers kneading his straining muscles.