Kraev

by Sonia Nova

  Olivia turned to the doctor, but Kraev pushed his luck, giving her one more peck on the lips and a squeeze before backing off so that the doctor could examine her. He took out a flashlight and peered into her eyes when a sudden, horrifying, thought emerged in Olivia’s mind.

  “Wait,” she said, feeling appalled at herself that she hadn’t thought to ask this sooner. She’d been too wrapped up in the euphoria of seeing Kraev again. “What about Naia? And Fei and Mito? Do you know what happened to them?”

  “They’re all safe,” Kraev said, grabbing her hands in his and squeezing them reassuringly. “They’ve been to visit you while you were recovering. They all managed to get to the evacuation pods unharmed.”

  A heavy breath escaped Olivia’s lungs and her shoulders sagged in relief. She had desperately wanted them to be okay, hoping that her sacrifice had been worth it. She was lucky that she was alive to find the outcome of it, but this was the only one she would have been happy with.

  She climbed out of the pool and the second the warm water was no longer surrounding her, she felt chilled. Dr. Zayen immediately offered her a towel and she took it gratefully, wrapping it around her body.

  Physically, she felt fine. Dr. Zayen kept listing her injuries, which included a serious head wound, several broken ribs, and internal bleeding, and she could hardly believe it. She wondered if the doctor had kept her in the regen tank longer than was strictly necessary, because not only did she feel fine, she felt as if she’d never been injured at all.

  She would have to query that with the doctor later, and give him a piece of her mind if he’d allowed Kraev to wait around in such a state when he could have quelled some of her mate’s worry easily enough. It was obvious that Kraev had been at her bedside for days on end with barely any sleep or anything to eat. She forced herself not to glare at the doctor now as he confirmed that she was in perfect health.

  “So, I can leave?” Olivia asked, conscious of getting Kraev back to his bed as quickly as possible so that he could finally get a good night’s sleep.

  She felt oddly guilty about his state right now, even though there was nothing she could have done about it, and knowing that, if she’d woken up without him right there, she would have been devastated.

  Something hit her all of a sudden and she felt stupid for not having asked in the first place.

  “The Suhlik… They’re gone?”

  “We chased them out of the base – and the planet,” Kraev said. “They’re never gone, but they at least shouldn’t be back for a while. We did a lot of damage to their numbers… as they did to ours.” He grimaced at the last part.

  Olivia’s heart leaped. “Is Zevyk okay?” she asked. She knew that Kraev would be absolutely devastated if something had happened to his brother, but that might be masked by the fact that she had just come out of the tank.

  “He’s fine,” Kraev said with a slight smile. “He came to visit you too. He was worried.”

  Olivia smiled. “Well, no one has to worry about me anymore. I feel fine.” She really did. She felt better than fine. It was like her energy had built up over the time she’d been in the tank, not expending it.

  Compared to Kraev, who must have been dead on his feet, she was practically bouncing on the spot. Whatever this tank was, it was infinitely more technologically advanced than anything that they had on Earth.

  Kraev wrapped his arms around her, his tail twining around her leg. She was still soaking wet, but he didn’t seem to care. He held her close to his chest, looking at her like he never wanted to let go.

  “You have no idea how worried I was about you.”

  She hugged him back and pressed a kiss to his chest. “I’m so glad we’re both here and safe.”

  She expected a sarcastic comment from Dr. Zayen about how they should get a room, or that this was a hospital and not the place for this, but he was just watching them with an almost affectionate smile on his face.

  The Mahdfel seemed to have a different approach to public displays of affection and Olivia liked it. There was nothing wrong with telling the world that you loved someone, especially not when you’d both thought you were going to be dead just days ago.

  “How long was I out?” she asked.

  “Eight days,” Kraev said, his voice hoarse and revealing just how exhausted he was.

  “Eight days?!” Olivia’s eyes widened. “No wonder I feel a bit stiff… You stayed here that entire time?” She made a noise of discontent when Kraev nodded. “Let’s hurry home. We’ve both been here for far too long.”

  Dr. Zayen laughed. “It wasn’t for the lack of trying to get him to go and rest up and eat something proper,” he said. “I knew the attempts were futile, but we did try. I’m glad you’ve come out okay.”

  “Was that ever a doubt?” Olivia asked.

  The doctor gave her a serious look that told her everything she needed to know. “It certainly was.”

  Olivia shivered. She couldn’t believe she had been that close to death.

  “Here,” Dr. Zayen said, handing over a small bundle he’d brought into the room with the towel. “Naia brought some clothes for you to change into when you came out of the tank. I’ll just give you some privacy.” He turned to leave, closing the door behind him.

  Kraev glanced at her and the clothes. “Do you want me to give you some privacy too?”

  Olivia laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  She changed quickly, and Kraev’s gaze on her naked body as she slipped into the dry clothes made her skin prickle with heat. She definitely needed to stave off those urges for now. That wasn’t the best way to keep Dr. Zayen looking affectionately at them.

  “Let’s go home,” she said again with a smile on her lips.

  Home. She was really starting to think of R-2841 as that. Or, well, maybe not the planet, but Kraev. Anywhere that Kraev was would be home for her.

  * * *

  When they emerged into the corridor outside the medical bay, three familiar and friendly faces greeted Olivia. Naia was there, wearing a wide smile on her face. Mito was in her arms and Fei stood beside her, a box in his hands.

  “I’m so glad to see you!” Olivia said enthusiastically. “I’m glad you all got out safe.”

  Naia beamed back. “Thanks to you. I have no idea what would have happened if you hadn’t been so selfless.”

  “Don’t be silly. I did what anyone would have done.”

  Naia shook her head. “I’m happy to see you have recovered, though. We were all so worried.”

  “Miss Olivia, we got you a present to say thank you!” Fei stepped forward and passed her the box he was holding.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Olivia said, feeling a little choked up. She hadn’t been expecting this at all. Saying she would stay behind while Naia and her family ran was an instinctive decision. She was right that most people would have surely done the same.

  She opened the box carefully, her eyes widening ever so slightly as she took in the contents of the present.

  There was a gun inside.

  It had golden carvings in the butt, with deep grooves creating what looked like a bunch of flowers with big heads and small stalks. She didn’t recognize the type of flower, but the carvings were clearly custom-made.

  “I realize a gun isn’t a good gift,” Naia said hastily, “but Fei insisted.”

  “Every warrior should have their own weapon,” Fei said resolutely, ignoring his mom’s skepticism. “And you saved our lives. You’re the most impressive warrior I’ve ever met.”

  Olivia did tear up at that. “It’s amazing. Thank you so much.”

  “The flower is a hydrangea,” Naia said, the word heavily accented. The translator didn’t seem to have translated it for her. “According to the network, it is a symbol of gratitude on Earth. I hope that’s correct.”

  It wasn’t something that Olivia had ever heard before, but it didn’t matter. It really was the thought that counted in this situation.

  “It i
s,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Thank you so much.”

  “Of course.” Naia came forward and gave Olivia a gentle hug, like she was terrified of hurting her. Fei gave her a hug too, wrapping his arms around her middle since that was where he could reach given his smaller stature. She wrapped her arms tightly around both of them, only wary of squashing baby Mito, who was gurgling happily in the middle of them.

  “Thank you, my friend,” Naia said. “I owe you my life.”

  Olivia chuckled. “You don’t owe me anything. I don’t ever want you to feel indebted to me. And if you do, you can pay it off by cooking something for me at some point.”

  Naia laughed. “I suppose I can get behind that.”

  They parted ways after a while, promising that they would meet up and eat together when things had calmed down a bit.

  Olivia and Kraev walked back to his quarters hand-in-hand, and she tried to look for signs that the corridors had been the sight of a bloody battle just days ago. There was nothing obvious that she could see. No rotting corpses, no blood on the walls or floor. Occasionally, she saw a dent in the wall that looked like it could have been from a knife or a claw grazing the metal.

  “So, life just returns to normal?” she asked.

  He squeezed her hand. “It does. It already has. Well, maybe not quite. People are in mourning, but generally speaking, things have gone back to normal. People have gone back to daily life, unless they can’t handle that right now. We’re used to Suhlik attacks, even if they’re not normally this bad.”

  It was both sad and inspiring that life just continued as normal after such a monumental event.

  They took the elevator to the sixth floor, walking past the stairwell in which Olivia had almost been killed. She thought that she would have been fine revisiting it, but Kraev was stiff as he passed the doorway.

  “What actually happened?” she asked quietly as they continued toward his quarters. “I remember shooting two of them, but there was a third one. I think he hit me and… I don’t remember anything after that.”

  “I think you fell down the stairs.” Kraev swallowed, the memory clearly still fresh and painful in his mind. “I got there just as one of them was about to finish you off. I’d tracked you through the security camera network so I knew where you were heading, but I expected you to be okay. I killed the Suhlik.”

  She squeezed his hand reassuringly, wanting to comfort him. She wanted to stop and hug and kiss him, but decided it would be better to do those things in his apartment. Instead, she simply said, “Thank you.”

  “I’d do anything to protect you, leani. Anything.” Then, he gave her a grin. “And I’m always ready to kill as many lizards as I can.”

  Olivia chuckled. They made it back to Kraev’s apartment and he opened the door. She’d only really been in there once, and for a single night, but it really did feel like coming home. She immediately walked through to the bedroom, collapsing down onto the bed. She wasn’t particularly tired, but she didn’t want Kraev to do anything but sleep.

  He came and lay on the bed beside her, lacing their fingers together and wrapping his tail around her. His eyes were shut in seconds, and she thought he’d passed out right then and there.

  Then, he opened his eyes and asked, “Are you hungry?”

  Olivia laughed. “I’m not anything. You’re tired. You should go to sleep.”

  “If you need anything at all, I want to give it to you.”

  Affectionately, Olivia kissed his forehead, carefully avoiding his horns. “I need you to get some rest.” She scooted up the bed and sat with her head against the headboard and patted her lap. “Lay here,” she said.

  Kraev did as she said, resting his head in her lap. He closed his eyes, his breathing evening out within seconds as he succumbed to sleep. Olivia ran her fingers over his face and hair, memorizing every contour of his body. She didn’t want to do anything but look at him and touch him. Her mate.

  She couldn’t imagine being happier than this.

  CHAPTER 24

  KRAEV

  Kraev woke with Olivia in his arms. Despite his mate’s insistence that she wasn’t tired, she seemed to have fallen asleep beside him. Her back was pressed into his chest, their bodies curled around each other. Her sweet scent filled his lungs and Kraev reveled in the warmth of her body against his.

  Everything felt perfect.

  He caressed her with his tail, sliding it over her hips and legs. Olivia’s breaths were deep and even, but after a while, he felt her begin to stir. Her eyes opened, sleepy but content as she turned over to look at him. A slow smile spread on her lips.

  A sense of warmth filled Kraev, and he couldn’t help but smile back at his mate. He felt completely at ease and it was like the past week had all but melted away. It was just he and his mate, waking up in bed together. This was everything he had ever wanted, and it was finally here.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured. “My leani.”

  He cupped her face in his hands and pulled her lips to his in a sweet but passionate kiss.

  The kisses they’d shared since she woke up from the regen tank had been gentle and reverent, like they were both scared of breaking each other if they did anything too aggressively. This one held all the simmering heat and passion he’d felt for her ever since he saw her for the first time at the teleport base.

  Their legs tangled together as their tongues entwined. His thigh wedged between hers and his cock nestled against her hip, straining against his pants. The tattoos on his skin burned bright, spreading a tingling sensation all the way through his body, from the top of his head to the end of his tail.

  Olivia’s hands wrapped around his neck, playing with the braid that hung down his back. Kraev kissed her again, running his hands along the soft curves of her body. He wanted to touch her everywhere; her hips, her breasts, her bottom. His hands and tail caressed every bit of her and he couldn’t get enough.

  She touched him back in turn, her hands curling around his sensitive horns. It sent a jolt straight to his cock and he groaned in pleasure. Her touch turned from feather-light to hard and demanding in a second and it drove him insane.

  He kissed her more aggressively now, grabbing her hip and rolling it against his crotch roughly. He ran his fingers down her side and over the curve of her breast, loving the shiver that ran along her body at his touch.

  Between his thumb and forefinger, he pinched her nipple softly. She gasped, the sound sending a thrill of desire through him.

  “Stars, Kraev…” Her voice was breathless. “I didn’t even know it was possible to feel this good.”

  Kraev smiled down at her. “It’s absolutely my intention to slowly drive you insane with how good I can make you feel,” he teased, his mouth replacing his thumb and forefinger as he sucked on her nipple.

  A breathy laugh escaped Olivia’s lips. “I feel like I’m already insane,” she said. “I want you inside me right now.”

  Her forward words nearly made Kraev lose his focus. His cock leaped to attention, more than eager to oblige. He wanted to fill her to the brim, to be as intimate as it was possible for them to be. He wanted them to come together, to feel that knowledge that she might be carrying his child after they’d finished.

  But he’d made a promise and he intended to keep it.

  “This time, I’m going to force myself to be patient,” he replied, his hand playing with her other nipple as he started to kiss down her body.

  She gasped and arched her back, digging her fingers into his shoulder as he teased her relentlessly. He kissed all the way down to the juncture between her thighs before continuing to kiss down her thigh. A shiver wracked her body and she moaned.

  “Please,” she said. “Kraev, I need you.”

  It turned him on to have her begging so sweetly, but Kraev wasn’t ready to give in. The anticipation of what he knew was to come was almost unbearably good and painful at the same time. His cock ached and his tail swished in need, but he
refused to let his desire overwhelm him.

  He would take his time with her. Tease her. Taste her.

  He buried his face between her thighs and she moaned deeply as he sucked on the little nub above her core. He wasn’t sure what purpose it held, but he knew his mate liked it when he touched it, and that was enough. She spread her legs as wide as they would go and tilted her hips forward, allowing him better access.

  The taste of her was divine. Sweet, just like her scent. Amihae fruit and spices.

  She gripped his horns to keep him anchored between her thighs, pulling him firmly against her. Sparks of pleasure surged along his spine at the touch and he grunted against her flesh.

  He licked and flicked her nub until she was writhing and whimpering with pleasure. He could feel her tense up beneath him, but he didn’t stop. Her legs clamped around his head tightly and she screamed as she fell over the edge, her body convulsing from the power of the orgasm.

  “Kraev…” she moaned as she came.

  The husky sound of his name on her lips drove him wild. He gripped her hips, positioning himself at her entrance, ready to impale her.

  But the memory of her small human body, fragile and broken at the bottom of a staircase, made him pause. She’d only just gotten out of the tank hours ago. Was she well enough for this?

  “What are you waiting for?” Olivia asked, her voice still breathless from her orgasm. She turned to look at him when he wouldn’t move. “Didn’t I say I wanted you inside me?”

  “You only got out of hospital hours ago,” he said, worry making him frown. “I don’t want to push you.”

  Olivia laughed. “I’m completely fine. I told you that. If anything, I’m healthier than you. You have a lot of sleep to catch up on still.”

  She propped herself up on her elbow and ran her fingers over his chest and down toward his achingly hard, pulsing shaft. She wrapped her hand around it, making him gasp. His gaze didn’t leave hers and he swallowed thickly.