by Marie Harte
“Not ill, exactly,” she hedged. How the hell was she supposed to tell him she still lusted after him without feeling extremely foolish? This made no sense.
“Tell me, sura.” His voice sounded strange, an odd echoing of different pitches all at once.
Compelled to answer, she spoke. “I can’t stop wanting you.” Saying it out loud lifted a giant burden from her chest. “What I did in that alleyway, I’ve never done before. I can’t believe I let you get me off in front of Rorn’s men.” She stared into his eyes, the deep green of his gaze darkening with desire, and grew wet. “Gren, what’s happening to me?”
She licked her lips and saw his eyes narrow on the movement. “I feel hot everywhere, but at the same time I feel powerful, full of energy.”
He frowned and closed his eyes.
At once, the greedy want within her faded, replaced by a soothing need to sleep. She blinked up at Gren, finding it hard to keep he eyes open.
“Sorry, sura. I should have realised you needed rest.”
He drew her to her feet and led her to the bed at the rear of the ship. His gaze was shuttered as he lowered her to the blankets and tucked her inside.
With a soft kiss to her forehead, he whispered, “Pleasant dreams.”
* * * *
Baffled, Gren studied her, not able to understand what Temis experienced. In all his years, he’d never seen a woman so affected by Theshan bliss. Nor had he ever been so absorbed in a female. It was as if she were Thesha and he her hapless prey.
He sat beside her on the bed and tried to piece together the puzzle of this stubborn peacemaker.
The few mated Theshas he’d met experienced a mental and spiritual joining, but he didn’t think the women had ever absorbed their lovers’ energy.
Gren swept a lock of golden hair from Temis’ face, fascinated by the silken texture. Sitting so near her wasn’t smart, but at least unconscious, she presented much less a threat to his sanity.
Beyond his obvious arousal, Gren felt a distinct tenderness for the spirited woman lying under his protection. Admiration mixed with frustration, sexual attraction with a genuine caring. Had he ever felt such affection for another in all his days?
Annoyed and unnerved, he moved as far from Temis as possible and signalled Mara’s Light from the ship’s controls. Catam answered, and Gren waited while he fetched Lurin, in no mood for the smart-mouthed Xema.
“Lurin here.”
“It’s Gren. I need this passed to the smart ass’s brother right away.” He sent a fabricated readout to Mara’s Light while he mentally shared the information he’d gathered from Ceril.
“Gren? You don’t sound right.”
“It’s nothing. Just a woman I can’t understand.” He continued to make small talk out loud, always conscious of eavesdroppers in space.
Lurin whistled. “Now that’s something new. Rumour has it the Freya woman is gorgeous. You and a peacemaker. Must be fate.”
Laughter was the last thing Gren needed right now. “Just make sure Sernal knows I’ll get him the location when I know more.”
“The location, right.” Lurin sobered. “Sernal wanted to let you know he’s close, but he doesn’t have enough proof yet to put the bastard away for good. Rorn Fenhal needs to be caught in the act at the sale. That’s the only way to get around his lofty contacts in the peacemaker realm.”
It would have been too easy for Sernal to pin the crimes on Rorn before the auction, ending Gren’s association with Temis.
Temis. The root of his problems. Gren sighed. “Lurin? Has Mara ever absorbed your energy during an exchange?”
He felt Lurin’s puzzlement. “No. I’ve shared wainu with her, but only after an intense joining. You already know she can read my thoughts when we’re together. The sharing is strongest after we make love, of course. But even now she could listen if I hadn’t asked her not to.”
Gren didn’t know what to make of Temis’ abilities.
“Gren? What’s going on? Is there something you need me to pass to the elders?” Worry coloured Lurin’s words, another complication Gren didn’t need.
“Nothing some raw sex won’t cure.” He made his tone light and was relieved when Lurin laughed.
“Go for it. But be warned. Once with Mara was all it took. Next thing you know I’m married and she’s reading my mind.”
“I’ll be careful,” Gren answered with wry amusement. “Sorry, I’ve been having some connection issues. I’ll call you later once I’ve fixed the telecom on my end,” he said to explain their long silence, then disconnected and stared thoughtfully out the front viewport.
Intimacy with Temis went beyond special. Despite his wish to remain apart from the woman, they had somehow bonded. The connection would remain susceptible to breakage until he willingly joined with her. Perhaps he should just throw caution to the wind and see where he landed.
And if he found himself in a bed on top of Temis Freya, so be it.
He flushed as honesty compelled him to admit making love to Temis would hardly be a sacrifice. Sex with her would ease the ache deep inside him and give him the respite needed to focus on his mission. Never mind the possessive nature that consumed him concerning one blonde peacemaker. He needed to forget the contrary feelings she stirred, feelings he had no business experiencing considering his true purpose in life.
As he sat gazing out the viewport, he continued to rationalise his need to bed Temis. But after continued staring into deep space, his eyes grew heavy. With a reluctant sigh, he fell into an unwelcome slumber.
Chapter Ten
Temis stared at Gren lying so peacefully under the Canfer willows of her home world. She often placed herself in this calming forest when dreaming, especially when she needed a gentle respite from the rest of the world. But she hadn’t counted on Gren sharing her private space.
Closing her eyes, she breathed in the scent of sweet yala blossoms just opened. The steady drone of market bees hard at work and the pleasant chirping of overhead birds reminded her that spring harvest would soon arrive, and soon after, the pre-tournament games at Chula—her favourite time of year on Zeyr.
Her gaze once again found Gren and she frowned. Why had she brought him here, of all places? This private place was hers alone, never shared with anyone. Yet his presence seemed to complete her paradise, as if she’d been waiting for him to finish the scene.
He certainly looked the part of the perfect lover as he lay naked under Zeyr’s molten sun. Despite the shade the Canfer trees provided, the growing heat encouraged her to discard the scraps of slave clothing she still wore, a residual from her waking state.
Finally free of encumbrance, she wandered to Gren, wondering when and even if he might wake. If not for the subtle rise and fall of his chest, she might have thought him dead, he slept so soundly.
His muscular body showed no sign of ease during rest. Instead, his strength seemed more pronounced now that she could look her fill without interruption. She inspected every inch of him, curious about the scar that creased the knuckles of his left hand and travelled along his arm stopping just before his elbow.
She traced the darkened scar with her fingers, surprised at the groan and ready awakening of his body. His eyes remained closed while his nipples hardened and his shaft stirred.
His erection grew, the velvety rod no longer relaxed in that thatch of silky black hair. Her body instantly responded. Moisture gathered between her thighs, her breasts tingled with anticipation, and a need to feel him deep within her called for action.
“Gren,” she whispered and joined him on the wide dais in the middle of the clearing. She straddled his body and pressed her moist heat directly over his shaft. She closed her eyes at the pleasure such contact afforded and decided to fully take advantage of this dream where embarrassment and weakness didn’t exist. “Wake and love me, Gren.”
His eyes fluttered open, a brilliant green that made her think of precious danstone, a coveted gem throughout the system. Multifaceted an
d deep, danstone was worth more than most could afford, her included.
She rubbed along his arousal and he growled low in his throat, an answering need in the taut lines of his body and face. “What are you doing to me?” he groaned as she eased along his length.
Testing for just the right friction, she found the perfect spot as his shaft grazed her ripe clit. “Oh,” she moaned and continued to pleasure herself using his body. “I want to feel you inside me. I want you to take me until we can’t think anymore.”
He shook his head, but his gaze strayed to her hardened nipples. With two large palms, he cupped her breasts, his calluses a wonderful contrast to his soft touch. “Why must you break down every barrier I think to make?” He sounded desperate to refuse, but his body said the opposite.
“You need me,” Temis said boldly, running her hands over his hardened chest. She squeezed his nipples and watched his head tilt back, felt his hands tighten around her breasts.
He rolled her nipples and she moaned his name. Riding his steely arousal, she slipped back to increase her rhythm and felt the tip of him ease into her. She immediately stopped, bemused, aroused, and wanting all of him.
“Blessed fate.” Gren’s eyes glowed brighter than they had a right to. “I can’t hold back any longer.”
He shifted his hands to her hips and levered her over his cock. Temis let him settle her over him, eager to feel this newest sensation. Then Gren eased her down slowly, inch by delicious inch, stretching her with a pleasure so intense it was painful.
“Oh, more, oh,” she moaned, spreading her legs wider around his torso to allow deeper contact.
He grunted and pushed further into her, until she sat flesh to flesh atop him, the whole of his shaft within her.
He closed his eyes and didn’t move. The utter joy of the moment spread around them both like a warm pool.
“Sura, you don’t know how good you feel,” he said in a thick voice and opened his eyes. “I want you so much.”
Like magic, his words forced her to move. Guided by visions suddenly in her mind, she began to ride him, up and down, slowly, feeling all of him.
He gasped her name and fondled her breasts, pinching and plucking until she wanted to scream. Sensing her unspoken need, he suddenly sat up and thrust deeper inside her.
He took one rosy bud in his mouth and lightly bit.
She rocked hard onto him, near to climax, and grasped his head to hold him to her. Her fingers slid through hair softer than Afleran silk, and she nearly climaxed when he suckled her other breast.
“Please Gren,” she begged, needing more, needing the completion she’d only ever felt with him.
Then something powerful passed through her, as if a huge ball of warmth suddenly exploded within her. She screamed her pleasure as he rocked inside her, coming around him so hard she felt mindless with ecstasy. She couldn’t stop the rapture from overtaking her, knew he could feel it too as he shuddered and spilled inside her.
She actually felt him throb within her. As he groaned and continued thrusting inside her, she sought his lips.
The kiss stole her very breath, her ability to reason without him. Together they moved in nature’s rhythm, climaxing as one, their bodies and souls melting into one another.
It seemed like forever before they finally stopped, when Gren let go of her mouth long enough to take a breath.
“Sura,” he groaned and fused them tighter together. “What have you done?”
* * * *
Suddenly, the world stopped spinning. She blinked up into angry green eyes.
“Gren?” she asked hesitantly. A glance down showed her still garbed in skimpy slave clothing in bed. Gren stood beside the bed looming over her. He too wore clothing, and she couldn’t help the disappointment that filled her. Tears gathered in her eyes, a horrifying reminder that she was most definitely not herself.
“Temis?” His antagonism seemed to fade as he studied her. She prayed he accepted her hesitation as one of confusion, that he hadn’t seen her eyes well with moisture.
She blinked rapidly to rid herself of any tears. “I must have been more tired than I thought,” she said, aware a blush fired her cheeks. She couldn’t stop thinking about what they’d done in her dream, and the slick heat between her legs was a physical testament to her imagination.
His nostrils flared. “I thought I heard you call out for me.”
Please let my erotic dream have been silent. “No,” she answered in a high pitch. Clearing her throat, she sat up and swung her feet to the floor to feel less vulnerable under his stare. “Must have been a nightmare.”
“Funny, because I just had one too,” he said in hard voice, his gaze suspicious and not at all like the one from her dream.
“Where are we?” Better to change the subject.
“Between Jaron and Eyra, on the outlying side of the system.” He stepped back and took a deep breath that he slowly let out. “If you’re done resting, you might want to fill up on some of the provisions I brought. There’s a small galley barely big enough for two people past the lav.” He thumbed the direction. “I thought I’d get some rest while you eat. We still have several days until the auction is rumoured to happen. I figured we could rest in shifts until we get closer to go-time.”
He stared at her expectantly, and she rose from the bed. Unfortunately the quarters were narrow. She had to brush by him to exit the room.
She heard his intake of breath and stifled one of her own before she left with a queenly nod. She headed for the galley, puzzled and hurt. She selected a meal while she tried to muster her appetite. Obviously Gren wanted to spend as little time with her as possible before the mission.
What had happened to stir such a change in his attitude?
The meal appeared and she pondered his erratic behaviour. “Touchy merc,” she mumbled, peeved Gren was acting more like a moody woman than a warrior with something on his mind. He seemed like the type to tackle a problem head-on, but apparently not. As she dug into her food, she decided distance might just be the thing to better her perspective.
Women’s needs were all well and good, but once let loose, played havoc with reason. Pleased with her latest rationale, she tried to look forward to the mission, despite the moody warrior keeping his distance.
* * * *
“I bet she’s miserable,” Rorn Fenhal muttered under his breath as he stared at a hologram of Temis Freya’s likeness. He’d had his men post wanted notices, anonymously of course, for the capture or purchase of the abducted peacemaker.
He stared at her picture, images of owning her never far from his mind. From the moment he’d seen her again, he’d had a raging erection that wouldn’t quit. Luckily, he’d thought to bring along two of his favourite female peacemakers, women who, unlike Temis, understood their extreme good fortune.
Working for Rorn would see them go far. The slave auctions he was forced to undertake were only the beginning. With the aid of Nero, his second in command, and a small handful of greedy peacemakers more concerned with power than right, he’d begun steadily creating his own hedonistic world.
He leant back in his chair and closed his eyes, thoughts of the future exciting in the extreme. Soon his growing estate on Colony6 would run the slaving planet. The poor masses of outlaws and castaways owed him their allegiance, for without him, many on the small world would be forced to work at The Pit, a nasty slaving consortium, and just one of the hellholes at the edge of the System that used the unwilling for profit.
At least he had the foresight to build his empire. He had no desire to follow in his father’s footsteps. His father could keep his lofty position as Peacemaker Legion Director. Rorn had a better idea of the perfect life. And it wasn’t working his ass off to impress dicks like Sernal of Mardu.
Abducting Mardu’s wealthiest women to sell as playmates to the System’s most powerful underworld leaders would cement his position in the criminal classes. Already whispers abounded of his power and contacts.
He smiled and buzzed for Calia and Zerona.
Temis would regret that she’d ever rebuffed him. He wondered if Gren had raped her, then thought by now he must have. The thought of her violated pleased him, and he looked forward to continuing her introduction into the violence of desire.
With Gren’s reputation, the chance existed Temis might have fallen prey to his fabled skills of seduction. But since Temis thought herself too good and pure to waste on the best of the peacemakers—namely himself—what were the chances she’d willingly give her pussy to a murdering mercenary?
He ached. Fantasies of Temis on her hands and knees, begging for rescue, enhancing his desire. He unfastened his trousers and waited impatiently for his peacemakers to attend him.
How had Gren fucked Temis? Had he spent in her mouth, her ass? Had he creamed her slick pussy with his unrefined seed?
Growing more aroused at the thought of Temis being manhandled, Rorn stared down at his impressive erection, knowing it was only a matter of time before Temis begged him for it.
A short buzzer sounded. He pressed a button, opening the door to allow Calia and Zerona entry. They stopped short at the sight of him in the chair, not sure what to do, he supposed, since he’d never before called them to him together.
“Take off your clothes.”
Calia began stripping while Zerona stared as if unsure.
“I gave you an order, peacemaker,” he said silkily, amused and slightly disappointed she quickly did as he bade. Temis would have fought before succumbing to his orders. She would have made him work to own her.
Soon enough, both women stood naked before him. He motioned them closer. “Calia, tie Zerona to the wall.”
“Lead Rorn?” Zerona asked in a nervous voice. He’d only slept with her once, a gentle coupling to win her trust. Calia, on the other hand, knew what he liked, and her widening grin told him she knew what he wanted. She’d spent a good amount of time chained to the wall while he used various means of taming her.
